Occupational disease
- mental disorder
- presumptions as to stress disorders
- proof
Amended by HB 4113
Effective since January 1, 2023
Relating to occupational diseases of nonvolunteer firefighters; amending ORS 656.790 and 656.802.
Mentioned in
Widow of Salem firefighter fights for benefits; case heads to Oregon Supreme Court
“Because of [the cancer risk], Oregon law presumes that cancer is an 'on-the-job' injury for firefighters, making them eligible for workers' compensation.”
Bibliographic info
Source:
Section 656.802 — Occupational disease; mental disorder; presumptions as to stress disorders; proof, https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors656.html
.
See also annotations under ORS 656.005 (Occupational disease).
Notes of Decisions
Distinguishing features between occupational disease and accidental injury are unexpectedness and definiteness of onset time. O’Neal v. Sisters of Providence, 22 Or App 9, 537 P2d 580 (1975)
Workers’ Compensation Law presumption of occupational cause of firefighter’s heart disease is inapplicable to public retirement disability benefits cases. Mitchell v. PERB, 28 Or App 339, 559 P2d 1325 (1977), Sup Ct review denied
Temporary worsening of underlying condition is compensable if requiring medical services or resulting in temporary disability. Morgan v. Beaver Heat Treating Corp., 44 Or App 209, 605 P2d 732 (1980)
Mere increase in level of pain does not establish actual worsening of underlying condition. Cooper v. SAIF, 54 Or App 659, 635 P2d 1067 (1981), Sup Ct review denied
Disability is not occupational disease if on-job and off-job conditions are both of type capable of producing particular disability even though conditions are not identical. James v. SAIF, 290 Or 343, 624 P2d 565 (1981)
High intensity of on-job stress made it substantially different from off-job stress and therefore activity not ordinarily encountered outside employment. SAIF v. Gygi, 55 Or App 570, 639 P2d 655 (1982), Sup Ct review denied
Where on-job condition did not cause disabling pain until after sudden distinct event, claim for resulting disability was for accidental injury rather than occupational disease. Valtinson v. SAIF, 56 Or App 184, 641 P2d 598 (1982)
Where disabling occupational disease developed during specific employment, later employment that exacerbated symptoms did not shift liability from initial employer under last injurious exposure rule. Bracke v. Baza’r, Inc., 293 Or 239, 646 P2d 1330 (1982)
There are at least two last injurious exposure rules: one that assigns liability where successive employment contributes to totality of disease and one that substitutes for proof of actual causation. Bracke v. Baza’r, Inc., 293 Or 239, 646 P2d 1330 (1982); Fossum v. SAIF, 293 Or 252, 646 P2d 1337 (1982)
Under both last injurious exposure rules, rule of liability assignment and rule of proof, last potentially causal employer is solely liable. Fossum v. SAIF, 293 Or 252, 646 P2d 1337 (1982)
Stressful events accompanying discharge from employment arise within scope of employment, but discharge and loss of job do not. Elwood v. SAIF, 298 Or 429, 693 P2d 641 (1984)
Claimant must establish work caused worsening or acceleration of underlying disease, not merely worsening of symptoms. AMFAC v. Ingram, 72 Or App 168, 694 P2d 1005 (1985), Sup Ct review denied
Last injurious exposure rule does not apply to occupational disease claim where subsequent employer is not subject to Oregon Workers’ Compensation Act. Progress Quarries v. Vaandering, 80 Or App 160, 722 P2d 19 (1986)
Unitary work connection test analysis applies to occupational disease claims. SAIF v. Noffsinger, 80 Or App 640, 723 P2d 358 (1986), Sup Ct review denied
Strain can constitute occupational disease, not merely worsening of condition. Tucker v. Liberty Mutual Ins. Co., 87 Or App 607, 743 P2d 761 (1987)
Where disease is of type manifested only through symptoms, presence of symptoms is sufficient to establish existence of disease. Teledyne Wah Chang v. Vorderstrasse, 104 Or App 498, 802 P2d 83 (1990)
“Traumatic events or occurrences” refers to physical traumas only. Sibley v. City of Phoenix, 107 Or App 606, 813 P2d 69 (1991), Sup Ct review denied
“Conditions generally inherent in every working situation” refers to conditions present in every employment, not conditions generally inherent in claimant’s particular job. Housing Authority of Portland v. Zimmerly, 108 Or App 596, 816 P2d 1179 (1991); Whitlock v. Klamath County School District, 158 Or App 464, 974 P2d 705 (1999), Sup Ct review denied
Board is authorized to develop what conditions are generally inherent in every working situation and may do so on case-by-case basis. SAIF v. Campbell, 113 Or App 93, 830 P2d 616 (1992)
Once liability is initially fixed, to shift responsibility for occupational disease claim to later employer, initially responsible employer must prove that later employment conditions actually contributed to worsening of condition. Oregon Boiler Works v. Lott, 115 Or App 70, 836 P2d 756 (1992)
Repetitive trauma occurring during discrete, identifiable period of time due to specific activity can be injury rather than occupational disease. LP Company v. Disdero Structural, 118 Or App 36, 845 P2d 1305 (1993)
All claims for independent compensability of mental disorder are subject to occupational disease analysis regardless of suddenness of onset. Fuls v. SAIF, 129 Or App 255, 879 P2d 869 (1994), aff’d 321 Or 151, 894 P2d 1163 (1995)
Out-of-state employment could be used for purpose of establishing that occupational disease was work related, notwithstanding that employment was not subject to Oregon Workers’ Compensation Act. Silveira v. Larch Enterprises, 133 Or App 297, 891 P2d 697 (1995)
Physical examination for evidence of disqualifying condition in firefighter requires only tests customarily performed for purpose, not tests that will eliminate all possibility of disqualifying condition. Winston-Dillard RFPD v. Addis, 134 Or App 98, 894 P2d 532 (1995)
Concern over possible transfer or layoff is not compensable condition of employment. Bogle v. Dept. of General Services, 136 Or App 351, 901 P2d 968 (1995)
Requirement for diagnosis of mental or emotional disorder is met by diagnosis of physical disorder caused or worsened by mental stress. SAIF v. Falconer, 154 Or App 511, 963 P2d 50 (1998), Sup Ct review denied
In occupational disease cases, disease or condition is preexisting only if it: 1) contributes or predisposes claimant to disability or need for treatment; and 2) precedes either date of disability or date when medical treatment is first sought, whichever occurs first. SAIF v. Cessnun, 161 Or App 367, 984 P2d 894 (1999)
Employer may rebut presumption that condition is work related without identifying alternative cause for condition. Long v. Tualatin Valley Fire, 163 Or App 397, 987 P2d 1267 (1999), Sup Ct review denied
Inclusion of “any disease” caused by inhalation of dust within definition of occupational disease does not extend definition to injury resulting from sudden dust inhalation. Weyerhaeuser Co. v. Woda, 166 Or App 73, 998 P2d 226 (2000), Sup Ct review denied
In determining causation under mental disorder claim, nonexcluded work-related factors are weighed against total of excluded work-related factors and non-work-related factors. Liberty Northwest Insurance Corp. v. Shotthafer, 169 Or App 556, 10 P3d 299 (2000)
Current employer may not treat disease arising from past employment as preexisting disease for purpose of applying restrictions on compensability for worsened condition. SAIF v. Henwood, 176 Or App 431, 31 P3d 1096 (2001), Sup Ct review denied
Where gradual hearing loss is result of combined condition, overall hearing loss is treated as disease for purposes of determining causation. Lecangdam v. SAIF, 185 Or App 276, 59 P3d 528 (2002)
“Objective findings” in support of medical evidence means determination, made in medically acceptable way, that characteristics of physical findings or of subjective responses to physical examination are verifiable indicators of injury or disease. SAIF v. Lewis, 335 Or 92, 58 P3d 814 (2002)
Making “objective findings” in support of medical evidence does not constrain person making findings to rely on own perceptions or examination or require person to determine that injury or disease presently exists. SAIF v. Lewis, 335 Or 92, 58 P3d 814 (2002)
Distinction between injury and occupational disease depends on whether condition occurred gradually, not whether symptoms developed gradually. Smirnoff v. SAIF, 188 Or App 438, 72 P3d 118 (2003)
To establish occupational disease based on worsening of work-related preexisting condition, claimant may use employment conditions both before and after existence of preexisting condition to prove employment is major contributing cause of current condition and worsening of disease. Ahlberg v. SAIF, 199 Or App 271, 111 P3d 778 (2005)
“Cardiovascular-renal disease” means physical impairment of heart or blood vessels that is gradual in onset and interrupts or modifies performance of body’s vital functions. City of Eugene v. McCann, 248 Or App 527, 273 P3d 348 (2012); Kalenius v. City of Corvallis, 313 Or App 447, 495 P3d 209 (2021), Sup Ct review denied
If person has mental disorder, heightened compensability standard for mental disorders applies instead of compensability standard for firefighters. Estacada Rural Fire District #69 v. Hull, 256 Or App 729, 303 P3d 969 (2013), Sup Ct review denied
Worker may establish compensability of occupational disease based on series of traumatic events or occurrences without showing contribution from general work activities. Simi v. LTI Inc. -Lynden Inc., 300 Or App 258, 453 P3d 587 (2019)
Investigations that do not ultimately lead to discipline but that are preludes to discipline are disciplinary for purposes of this section. Vaughn v. Marion County, 305 Or App 1, 469 P3d 231 (2020)
Law Review Citations
10 EL 159, 165 (1979); 17 WLR 708 (1981); 23 WLR 441, 442 (1987); 24 WLR 341 (1988); 32 WLR 217 (1996)