Court Returns PTD Application to Commission for Review of Changed Circumstances

An Ohio appellate court issued a limited writ returning a worker’s application for permanent total disability benefits to the Industrial Commission to make findings as to whether he presented evidence of new and changed circumstances. Michael Oberdier established workers’ compensation claims for cervical spine injuries in 1989, lumbar spine injuries and major depression in 2013, and a low-back injury in 2016. In July 2021, a staff hearing officer denied his first application for permanent total disability benefits. The hearing officer held that Oberdier was capable of engaging in...