CompFox AI Summary
The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board granted reconsideration and rescinded a prior award, finding that the WCJ erred by not applying the Benson doctrine on apportionment of permanent disability based on causation. The Board remanded the case for further proceedings to determine the percentage of permanent disability attributable to each industrial injury and pre-existing conditions, as required by Labor Code sections 4663 and 4664. The Benson doctrine dictates that the prior Wilkinson doctrine, allowing combined awards in successive injury cases, is no longer generally applicable due to the legislative intent for causation-based apportionment.
Full Decision Text1 Pages
The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board granted reconsideration and rescinded a prior award, finding that the WCJ erred by not applying the Benson doctrine on apportionment of permanent disability based on causation. The Board remanded the case for further proceedings to determine the percentage of permanent disability attributable to each industrial injury and pre-existing conditions, as required by Labor Code sections 4663 and 4664. The Benson doctrine dictates that the prior Wilkinson doctrine, allowing combined awards in successive injury cases, is no longer generally applicable due to the legislative intent for causation-based apportionment.
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