Wallowa County v. Fordice

The outcome of this case depends on the answer to a single question: Is military service “employment” for purposes of the workers’ compensation statutes? We agree with the Workers’ Compensation Board (board) that it is. We therefore affirm the board’s award of benefits to claimant, whose hearing loss was caused by military service and subsequent civilian employment.

Claimant served in the United States Army from 1969 to 1971. One year of his service was in combat in Vietnam, where he was exposed daily to the sound of gunshots, mortar fire and exploding bombs. In 1975, claimant went to work for…