JUAN GUZMAN vs. PEAK HARVESTING, STATE COMPENSATION INSURANCE FUND
The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board denied reconsideration of a prior order finding that applicant Juan Guzman did not sustain an industrial injury. Guzman claimed he contracted Valley Fever due to his agricultural employment in 2002. The Board adopted the Workers' Compensation Judge's report, which found defendant's medical expert's opinion more credible. This expert concluded that the incubation period of Valley Fever, and the applicant's symptom onset in 2006, made an industrial exposure in 2002 unlikely. The Board found applicant failed to prove a connection between his condition and his employment, and did not demonstrate a dormant infection originating from his work.