Supreme Court Upholds Denial of Worker's Occupational Pneumoconiosis Claim

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld a denial of a worker's request for a permanent partial disability award for occupational pneumoconiosis. Charles Keaton was exposed to various types of dust while working for 21 years for different employers. A pulmonary function test conducted in January 2019 indicated that Keaton had a 25% pulmonary impairment, but an X-ray interpreted by Dr. Afzal Ahmed reflected that he neither pleural nor parenchymal changes consistent with occupational pneumoconiosis. In February 2019, Dr. Abdul Mirza diagnosed Keaton with occupational pneumoconiosis, but t...