The claimant sought entitlement to a catastrophic impairment designation, further chiropractic treatment, and the cost of denied neuropsychological and triage CAT assessments. Adjudicator Johal accepted that the claimant suffered three Class 4 marked impairments in each of activities of daily living; concentration, persistence, and pace; and adaptation in work or work-like settings. Prior to the accident the claimant ran a business for about twelve years, and became a licenced mortgage agent two years before the accident. He was very outgoing and social, hosted parties, and visited friends. He was healthy both physically and mentally and had no pre-accident conditions. After the accident, which was relatively minor, the claimant developed back and neck pain, and headaches. His mental functioning declined. He lost over 30 pounds, had no appetite, had poor short term memory, and needed assistance with basic personal care tasks. The claimant’s family believed he was depressed, and he reported being in frequent pain. He no longer entertained or visited friends. He did not return to work, and he rarely drove. The claimant’s neuropsychological assessor diagnosed the claimant with a severe pain disorder and moderate depressive disorder. She concluded that the claimant suffered Class 4 marked impairments in the above-noted spheres. The claimant’s psychological assessor made similar conclusions and conducted various testing to rule out malingering and feigning. Adjudicator Johal preferred the evidence of the claimant’s assessors over the IE assessors, who approached their role as a “detective” rather than neuropsychologist. The IE assessor also used testing methods that were not well peer-reviewed or had no validity measures. Adjudicator Johal denied the disputed chiropractic treatment because it was completed by a chiropractor, but largely proposed counselling and educational services, which were outside of the chiropractor’s scope of practice. The neuropsychological CAT assessment was approved, despite no evidence of head injury. Adjudicator Johal wrote that the request for an assessment was to show that there is a reasonable possibility that the claimant has the condition that is being investigated. The claimant did not need to show or prove that he had the condition in order for an assessment to be deemed reasonable and necessary. Finally, the triage CAT assessment was denied as there was no evidence presented why it would be required and what assessment of the claimant it would provide.
