James Boano — ADJ11953954

Firefighter James Boano sustained an admitted cumulative industrial injury (prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence) during employment ending June 23, 2014, with the DEU rating his disability at 75% before consideration of Labor Code section 4664(c). The WCJ reduced the award to 32% PD after concluding that prior awards (totaling 68%) fell within the catch-all body region under section 4664(c)(1)(G), thereby capping accumulated disability at 100%. Applicant sought reconsideration, arguing defendant failed to prove the prior awards warranted reduction. The Board rescinded the F&A, holding that assignment of disability to a body system under section 4664(c) is a medical issue that must be supported by substantial medical evidence, not the WCJ's lay 'commonsense' determination. The matter was returned to the trial level for further development of the record because the evaluators were never asked to address body systems under section 4664(c).