ROWDA IBRAHIM, Employee/Appellant,
v.
PRESBYTERIAN HOMES AND SERVS., and BERKLEY RISK ADMRS., Employer-Insurer/ Respondents,
and
NORAN NEUROLOGICAL CLINIC and HEALTHPARTNERS, Intervenors.
No. WC19-6326
Minnesota Workers Compensation
Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals
December 29, 2020
EVIDENCE
– CREDIBILTY. The assessment of witness credibility is
the unique function of the compensation judge and the
compensation judge’s conclusion that the employee was
not reliable or credible upon consideration of video
surveillance footage and contemporaneous medical records is
upheld.
EVIDENCE
– EXPERT MEDICAL OPINION. The compensation
judge’s reliance on medical expert opinions that were
well-founded and consistent with the employee’s medical
record is upheld.
Determined by: Deborah K. Sundquist, Judge, Patricia J.
Milun, Chief Judge, David A. Stofferahn, Judge.
Compensation Judge: Kristen M. Tate
Pro
se, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, for the Appellant.
Mark
A. Kleinschmidt, Cousineau, Waldhauser & Kieselbach,
P.A., Mendota Heights, Minnesota, for the Respondents.
Affirmed.
OPINION
DEBORAH K. SUNDQUIST, Judge.
The pro
se employee appeals the compensation judge’s finding
denying her claim for benefits. Substantial evidence supports
the judge’s findings and we affirm.
BACKGROUND
Rowda
Ibrahim, the pro se employee,[1] worked as a dietary aide for
Presbyterian Homes, the employer, beginning in March 2017. On
June 13, 2017, the employee fell at work, landing on her
knees and hand and hitting her forehead on the floor. Two
days later, she sought care at Healthworks and was diagnosed
with contusions of her forehead, left hand, and bilateral
knees. She denied memory issues or headache. The next day,
she returned to Healthworks with complaints of head pain,
headache, occasional blurry vision on her left eye, and left
knee pain. The employee’s symptoms continued to
improve, and it was anticipated that she would reach maximum
medical improvement (MMI) by June 29, 2017. However, on June
29, 2017, she returned complaining of pain on the left
forehead, posterior neck, and left knee. She also complained
of dizziness and balance issues. Due to the headache pain,
the employee was referred to a neurologist and underwent a
brain CT scan on June 29, 2017, the results of which were
normal.
The
employee saw neurologist Chris Evans, M.D., at the Noran
Neurological Clinic beginning in July 2017. Initially, his
assessment was neck pain, neuritis supra-orbital, and
cervicogenic headaches. Over the next four months, the
assessment expanded to include blurred vision, dizziness, and
cognitive changes. By February 2018, the employee’s
complaints continued and expanded again to include abdominal
pain and urinary problems, which she indicated began at the
time of injury. She also complained of left knee and thigh
pain. On examination in July 2018, Dr. Evans noted a normal
cervical range of motion with spasm. He ordered an MRI of the
neck in September 2018. The radiologist reported disc
degeneration with left paracentral disc protrusion without
nerve impingement. (Ex. E, Oct. 2, 2018). Dr. Evans diagnosed
the employee with a herniated disc at C6-7 with no nerve
impingement and no radiculopathy. As the employee’s
symptoms were ongoing, Dr. Evans concluded that her injury
was...