LV company disputes workers’ comp claim

Thursday, July 12, 2001 | 11:22 a.m.

Mission Industries, Las Vegas' largest industrial and commercial laundry, is fighting the state over whether it's liable to compensate an employee for an injury he allegedly suffered after his original industrial injury claim was settled.

Mission is disputing a decision by an appeals officer with the state Department of Administration to reopen an industrial injury claim by an employee, Brian Britz.

The suit said Britz sustained an injury to his lower back on March 14, 1998, while working for Mission Industries and was awarded "5 percent whole person impairment" and the claim was closed. But he injured his back again in November 1999 while changing a tire, the suit said.

Mission Industries' insurer denied reopening the claim after a medical investigation considered Britz's current condition to be a new incident and a new injury.

But Britz appealed to a hearing officer, who reversed the insurer's decision to deny reopening the claim.

Mission then appealed the hearing officer's decision and appeals officer, Geraldine Schwartzer, decided on June 6 to affirm the hearing officer's decision because Britz's medical documentation "proved to a reasonable degree of medical probability that his original industrial injury is a substantial contributing factor to his present condition."

The defendants could not be reached for comment.