Ruddell, Michael

Michael Ruddell, a former professional baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds (1969-1975), filed a cumulative trauma claim in 2019 alleging injury to multiple body parts. The WCJ initially found the section 5412 date of injury to be January 8, 2015 (when applicant received QME Dr. Barnett's reports regarding his 2008 specific knee injury) and held the claim time-barred under section 5405. On reconsideration, the Appeals Board reversed, finding the date of injury to be July 16, 2020, the date of QME Dr. Einbund's report first establishing the industrial nexus of the cumulative trauma. The Board concluded substantial medical evidence and applicant's testimony showed he lacked knowledge his disability was employment-related until that date, so the claim filed September 19, 2019 was not time-barred.