Supreme Court Advises LIRAB to Develop PPD 'Formula'

The Hawaii Supreme Court vacated an award and recommended that the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board weigh whether a lack of concrete factors to consider when awarding permanent partial disability benefits causes disparate outcomes. While the board has discretion to determine the amount of an award, linking the decision to the evidence is necessary. “We do not require agencies to state whether each and every piece of evidence helps or hurts a claimant or petitioner’s cause,” the court said. “But merely listing facts without basic analysis of their im...