Cole v. State Workmen's Compensation Commissioner

McGraw, Justice:

This is an appeal from a final order of the Workmen’s Compensation Appeal Board dated March 27, 1980 which affirmed the ruling of the Commissioner denying benefits to the dependents of the deceased claimant, Bob Cole.

The claimant was examined by the Occupational Pneumoconiosis Board (OPB) for occupational pneumo-coniosis and in May of 1976 the OPB found that Cole had contracted occupational pneumoconiosis but that the disease had resulted in no functional impairment in his capacity to work. A protest was filed in June of 1976. In April of 1978, Cole died of cardiorespiratory…