Board Errs in Assigning Burden of Proof on Combined Condition Claim

A divided Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that the Workers’ Compensation Board erred in failing to require a carrier to produce evidence that a worker’s accepted condition was not the major contributing cause of his need for treatment of a combined condition. Case: In the Matter of Beamon v. SAIF Corp., Np. 517, 06/10/2026, published. Facts: Don Beamon worked for MMNW Holding Co. After he injured his lower back while at work, Beamon was diagnosed with a disc herniation. MMNW had workers’ compensation coverage with SAIF Corp., which accepted the disc herniation as compensable...