Brown v. SAIF Corp.

The issue in this workers’ compensation case is whether claimant is entitled to benefits for his “combined condition” claim. Under ORS 656.005(7)(a)(B), a “combined condition” exists when an “otherwise compensable injury” combines with a preexisting condition, and the otherwise compensable injury remains the major contributing cause of that combined condition. In this case, claimant filed— and his employer’s insurer, SAIF Corporation, initially accepted—a claim for a lumbar strain combined with preexisting lumbar disc disease and related conditions. SAIF later denied the combined condition…