Yearwood v. Long Island Univ.

210 A.D.3d 1256

178 N.Y.S.3d 273

In the Matter of the Claim of Trina YEARWOOD, Appellant,

v.LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY et al., Respondents.

Workers’ Compensation Board, Respondent.

534130

Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department, New York.

Calendar Date: October 18, 2022

Decided and Entered: November 17, 2022

Schotter Millican, LLP, New York City (Geoffrey Schotter of counsel), for appellant.

Vecchione, Vecchione, Connors & Cano, LLP, Garden Park City (Brian M. Anson of counsel), for Long Island University and another, respondents.

Before: Garry, P.J., Lynch, Reynolds Fitzgerald, Ceresia and McShan, JJ.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

Lynch, J. Appeal from a decision of the Workers’ Compensation Board, filed June 18, 2021, which disallowed claimant's claim for workers’ compensation benefits.

Claimant, an associate university dean, sought treatment for complaints of bilateral wrist, hand and thumb pain and numbness on September 3, 2020, and her treating physician diagnosed her with causally-related occupational disease from repetitive stress and strain including bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and bilateral wrist and hand derangement with traumatic tendonitis. Petitioner thereafter filed a claim for workers’ compensation benefits asserting that, as a result of repetitive stress and strain, she had sustained an occupational disease involving bilateral hands, knees and shoulders. A Workers’ Compensation Law Judge (hereinafter WCLJ) found that claimant provided prima facie medical evidence of injuries to bilateral wrists, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and bilateral thumbs. An independent medical examination (hereinafter IME) was conducted at the behest of the employer and its workers’ compensation carrier (hereinafter collectively referred to as the carrier), in which it was concluded that claimant had bilateral thumb sprains/strains and bilateral wrist and hand sprains /strains and recommended, among other things, EMG/NCS diagnostic tests to rule out carpal tunnel syndrome. A hearing was held at which claimant testified, disclosing for the first time on cross-examination that, in 2014, she had sought treatment for hand problems from another physician and had undergone an EMG test.

The WCLJ established the claim for an occupational disease involving bilateral wrists, carpal tunnel syndrome and thumbs, setting a date of disablement of September 3, 2020, the date claimant reported on this claim first seeking treatment. On the carrier's administrative appeal, the Workers’ Compensation Board reversed the WCLJ's decision and disallowed the claim in its entirety, finding, based upon claimant's failure to report her treatment history to her treatment provider, the IME physician or the Board, that she had failed to satisfy her burden of submitting credible medical evidence demonstrating a causal connection between her proffered conditions and her current employment. Claimant appeals.

"It was claimant's burden to establish, by competent medical evidence, the existence of a causal connection between her injury and her employment" ( Matter of Richman v. New York State Workers’ Compensation Bd. , 199 A.D.3d 1216, 1217, 158 N.Y.S.3d 334 [3d Dept. 2021] [citations omitted]; see Matter of Blanch v. Delta Air Lines, 204 A.D.3d 1203, 1205, 167 N.Y.S.3d 204 [3d Dept. 2022] ). The medical evidence must "signify a probability as to the underlying cause of the claimant's injury which is supported by a rational basis" ( Matter of Wen Liu v. Division of Gen. Internal Medicine, Mount Sinai Sch. of Medicine, 186 A.D.3d 1770, 1771, 129 N.Y.S.3d 208 [3d Dept. 2020] [internal quotation marks and citations omitted], lv denied 36 N.Y.3d 904, 2020 WL 7522904 [2020] ; accord Matter of Richman v. New York State Workers’ Compensation Bd., 199 A.D.3d at 1217, 158 N.Y.S.3d 334 ). In evaluating medical evidence, the Board is not bound to accept the opinion of any expert but "may not totally reject uncontroverted medical testimony on the issue of causation and thereby fashion a medical opinion of its own" ( Matter of Murphy v. New York State Cts., 201 A.D.3d 1072, 1073, 161 N.Y.S.3d 462 [3d Dept. 2022] [internal quotation marks and citations omitted]; see Matter of Hughes v. Mid Hudson Psychiatric Ctr., 197 A.D.3d 1376, 1378, 153 N.Y.S.3d 658 [3d Dept. 2021] ). However, the Board is entitled to reject and discredit medical opinions as insufficient where, as here, it finds that they were not based upon an understanding of the claimant's relevant medical treatment history (see Matter of Sinelnik v. AJK, Inc., 175 A.D.3d 1732, 1734, 109 N.Y.S.3d 503 [3d Dept. 2019] ; Matter of Kondylis v. Alatis Interiors Co., Ltd., 116 A.D.3d 1184, 1186, 984 N.Y.S.2d 204 [3d Dept. 2014] ; Matter of Bailey v. Binghamton Precast & Supply Corp., 103 A.D.3d 992, 994, 960 N.Y.S.2d 522 [3d Dept. 2013] ; Matter of Jaquin v. Community Covenant Church, 69 A.D.3d 998, 1000, 891 N.Y.S.2d 560 [3d Dept. 2010] ; cf. Matter of Rodriguez v. Coca Cola, 178...