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RXtoXXRXXtoXXRXto  _       XX8toXXdd8/"yXXto#y    "F  # # # INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEE"F݌  Ќ  XtoX XtoXXXto     XXtoSPECIAL_WORKERS2 Wh  _ 2 WhԀCOMPENSATIONAPPEALSPANEL 2 ATKNOXVILLE  f WU(December14,2000Session) H XtoXWU%WUXXto     %'  % 3 %3ARGONAUTINSURANCECOMPANY,asworkerscompensation :  carrierof_G.UB.MK_.Constructorsv.BOBBYE.STILESv.JIM F  FARMER,DirectoroftheDivisionofWorkersCompensation,Tennessee R  DepartmentofLaborXtoXWU%'p݌ ^  Ќ  XtoXXXto  % 4 %4a% 5 -  Ԁ-  %5ԀDirectAppealfromthe% 6 CircuitCourt%6for% 7 %7_Blount_ԀCounty P  No.% 8 %8f% 9 ԀL11691W.DaleYoung,%9ԀCircuitJudge 6  -  ;<k[W$~ Kp@0 dd`  KE K K2 -  No.% > %>E200001092_WC_ԄR3CVMailed% ? -  ԄSeptember5,20001-  %?  - FiledOctober9,2001% @ -  Ԁ-  %@   -  ;Ak[W$~ Kp@0 dd`  KE K K2 -   $        $   % C This_workers_ԀcompensationappealhasbeenreferredtotheSpecialWorkersCompensation  AppealsPaneloftheSupremeCourtinaccordancewithTennesseeCodeAnnotated506 j 225(e)(3)forhearingandreportingoffindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw.Theemployee P appealsanawardoftwentypercentpermanentpartial_disability_Ԁasinadequate.Wemodify 6 theaward.$ ݌ l Ќ     $        $   $ ݌̌     ,     ,0  Tenn.CodeAnn.506225(e)(1999)AppealasofRight;Judgmentofthe%C, % D %D_Blount_ 8 CountyCircuitCourtModifiedandRemanded.,0Z݌  Ќ         _HowellN.Peoples,Sp._ԀJ.,_delivered_Ԁtheopinionofthecourt,inwhich% E %E^ԀWilliamM.   Barker,Justice,andJohnK.Byers,Sr.J.,% F %FԀ_joined_. f!  J.BartlettQuinn,Chattanooga,Tennessee,fortheAppellantBobbyE.Stiles 2#" E.Blaine_Sprouse_,Nashville,Tennessee,fortheAppelleeJimFarmer,DirectorofDivision $N $ ofWorkersCompensation,TennesseeDepartmentofLabor. %4!%    4    < MEMORANDUMOPINION  -J). _ԇ  XtoXXXto     &    FACTSa  =Ԍ  Ќ    XtoXXXto    'U       & J .   4 PlaintiffArgonautInsuranceCompany(Argonaut)broughtthisdeclaratoryjudgment | actionagainstDefendantBobbyE.Stiles(Stiles)todetermineitsliabilitytoStilesunderthe b TennesseeWorkersCompensationActforaMay1998injury.Argonautistheworkers H compensationinsurerforG.UB.MKConstructors.Stilesthenfiledacountercomplaint . ~ againstArgonautandJimFarmer,DirectoroftheDivisionofWorkersCompensation,  d TennesseeDepartmentofLabor(SecondInjuryFund)..z  VԌ  J Ќ       'J|n$      ${   4 StileswasbornJanuary1,1941andattendedelementaryschoolthroughthefifth    grade.Hisworkhistoryconsistsofnumerouspositionsasanunskilledmanuallaborer.In    1980,Stileswasinjuredwhileworkingasaminer.Duetothisinjury,Stilesfiledaworkers   compensationaction,whichwassettledwithStilesreceivinganawardof90.9percent x  disabilitytothebodyasawhole.${݌ ^  Ќ       G l<`  4 OnDecember2,1999,thiscasecametotrialbeforetheCircuitCourtforBlount *z  County.Thetrialconsistedofthetestimonyofthreewitnesses,Stiles,Ms.Dorothy ` Edwards*  I H  1     * P  ,avocationalexpert,andLesterF.Littell,III,M.D.,Stilesauthorizedtreating F physician,whotestifiedbydeposition. ,  4 Stilestestifiedthatbesidesthe1980and1998injuries,healsosuffereda1995injury  tohislowerbackwhichrequiredsurgery.Hetestifiedthatalthoughthe1995injurywas  workrelated,hedidnotnotifyArgonautorG.UB.MKofthisinjury. t  XIndescribingtheeffectsofthe1998injury,Stilestestifiedthathesuffersfromneck @ pain,headaches,andnumbnessinhisrightarmandhand.Additionally,Stilestestifiedthat &v thesesymptomswerenotpresentbeforethe1998injury.Asanexampleofhischanged  \ circumstance,Stilestestifiedthatmowinghisyardwiththeassistanceofaridinglawn B mowerusedtotakehimlessthantwohoursbutnowtakesallday.Hisdaughtersdohis ( housework,andhetakeshismealswithhisdaughtersorhisbrother,wholivesnearby.He  statedhehastroubledrivinglongdistances!20to30miles.Thistestimonywas  uncontroverted.    X 4 Ms.Edwardstestifiedthatduetohisage,education,andphysicalrestrictions,Stiles V"! was100percentvocationallydisabledwithnoaccesstothelabormarket.Shealsotestified <#" thatStileshasnotransferablejobskills.Nootherexpertevidencewasofferedontheissue "$r# ofvocationaldisability. %X $  4 Dr.LittellassessedStilesashavinga15percentmedicaldisabilitytothebodyasa &$"& wholeresultingfromthe1998injury.Dr.LittellalsotestifiedthatStileshasthefollowing ' #' permanentmedicalrestrictions: (#(  4 1) Abletositforonly15minutesatatime; l*%*  4 2) Abletostand/walkforonly20minutesatatime; R+&+  4 3) Abletositforlessthan2hoursper8hourworkday;   4 4) Abletostand/walkforlessthan2hoursper8hourworkday;  &  X  ?+4 44 <DL!X?  & %   4 5) Mustbeabletotakea1015minutebreakeveryhourofan8hour | Ѐworkday;& %%݌ b Ќ X  ! X444X!    J (03W/ /""  ,B.4 <DL!XB   ,?% <DL!4X?'2  6  )3     Completelyunabletoliftandcarryweightsofevenlessthan10poundsas'(݌ H Ќ  X  X   X?+4 44 <DL!X?Ӏpartofacompetitiveworksituation;and . ~  X XB+ 4 <DL!444XB7) Unabletousehishands,fingers,orarmsinanyrepetitiveactivity.  d   J  NotingthatthepainStilessuffersmakesithardforhimtobeinvolvedinany  0 jobthatrequiresenduranceorphysicalactivity,Dr.Littelltestified:        - X    9% <DLX9  -,   Youknow,Imnotavocationalexpert;but,youknow,hes   basicallyanuneducatedlaborerandnotransferableskills,soI x  thinkitwouldbe!mostlyanythinghewouldhavetodowould ^  requirephysicalactivity,andIdontthinkhecandomuch D  physicalactivity.-,,݌ *z  Ќ    $ X  X$ X   ` ThetrialjudgefoundthatonMay18,1998,Stilessufferedacompensableinjury F constitutinganadditional20percentpermanentimpairmenttothebodyasawhole. ,    X  STANDARDOFREVIEW   X    Theextentofvocationaldisabilityisaquestionoffacttobedeterminedfromallof t theevidence,includinglayandexperttestimony.Nelsonv.WalMartStores,Inc.,8S.W.3d Z 625,628(Tenn.1999);Worthingtonv.ModineMfg.Co.,798S.W.2d232,234(Tenn. @ 1990).Ourreviewofthetrialcourt'sfindinginthiscaseisdenovoupontherecord, &v "accompaniedbyapresumptionofthecorrectnessofthefinding,unlessthepreponderance  \ oftheevidenceisotherwise."Tenn.CodeAnn.506225(e)(2)(1999).Weareobligedto B reviewtherecordonourowntodeterminewherethepreponderanceoftheevidencelies. ( Iveyv.TransGlobalGas&Oil,3S.W.3d441,446(Tenn.1999);Corcoranv.FosterAuto  GMC,Inc.,746S.W.2d452,456(Tenn.1988).Althoughdeferencemustbegiventothetrial  judgewhenissuesofcredibilityandweightoforaltestimonyareinvolved,Sealsv.   England/CorsairUpholsteryMfg.Co.,984S.W.2d912,915(Tenn.1999);Jonesv.Hartford p!  Accident&Indem.Co.,811S.W.2d516,521(Tenn.1991),thisCourtisabletomakeits V"! ownindependentassessmentofthemedicalproofwhenthemedicaltestimonyispresented <#" bydeposition.Cooperv.INA,884S.W.2d446,451(Tenn.1994);Landersv.Firemans "$r# FundIns.Co.,775S.W.2d355,356(Tenn.1989). %X $  %>!%        X&   6  DISCUSSION 66  6Ԍ &$"& Ќ     '&6 X  Amedicalimpairmentratingdoesnotequalavocationaldisabilityrating.Cleekv. (#( WalMartStores,Inc.,19S.W.3d770,774(Tenn.2000).Avocationaldisabilityrating )$) incorporatesthemedicallimitationsoftheemployee,aswellastheemployeesskillsand l*%* training,education,age,andlocaljobopportunities.Id.Avocationaldisability mustfocus R+&+ ontheemployeesabilitytoreturntoemployment.Id.citingDavisv.Reagan,951S.W.2d 8,', 766,767(Tenn.1997)._Whilethemedicaldisabilityratingassignedbyamedicaldoctoris -n(- oneoftherelevantfactors,theemployeesownassessmentofhisabilitytoreturntowork  shouldalsobeconsidered.Id.   | . XX    .;;  _Stileswas_Ԁ59yearsofageatthetimeoftrial.Hehasnotransferablejobskills,ashis b workhistoryislimitedtounskilledmanuallaborjobs.Heisfunctionallyilliterate.Given H thesefacts,thenatureofthepermanentmedicalrestrictionssetbyDr._Littell_,theopinionof . ~ thevocationalexpert,andStilesowndescriptionofhisinabilitytoreturntowork,the  d preponderanceoftheevidenceestablishesthatStilesispermanentlyandtotallydisabled..;;p;݌  J Ќ  XX    0  X       & 0  g>  CONCLUSION g>>  >Ԍ    Ќ   $      $.?   4 Basedon_ade_Ԁnovoreviewoftherecord,thepreponderanceoftheevidencedoesnot   supportthetrialcourtsfindingthattheappellantis20percentpermanentlyandpartially x  disabled.Rather,thepreponderanceoftheevidenceestablishesthattheappellantis ^  permanentlyandtotallydisabled.Thiscaseisremandedtothe_Blount_ԀCountyCircuitCourt D  forenforcementofthejudgmentasmodifiedbythisCourt.Costsofthisappealareassessed *z  totheappellee,JimFarmer,DirectorofDivisionofWorkersCompensation,Tennessee ` DepartmentofLabor,forwhichexecutionshallissue,ifnecessary.'0 >$.?a?݌ F Ќ     $      $ C  $ C