NWCDN Members regularly post articles and summary judgements in workers’ compensations law in your state.
Select a state from the dropdown menu below to scroll through the state specific archives for updates and opinions on various workers’ compensation laws in your state.
Contact information for NWCDN members is also located on the state specific links in the event you have additional questions or your company is seeking a workers’ compensation lawyer in your state.
Memorandum Decision Only Indiana Court of Appeals
David Vass v. Barklay Purkans, LLC 23A-EX-2090
Although a memorandum-only decision, this Indiana Court of Appeals case supported medical treatment following a finding of maximum medical improvement and PPI award by the Board, but held fast to the Board’s decision plaintiff was not temporarily totally disabled during the ongoing treatment, which took place over several years.
This case had a long history following a compensable worker’s compensation injury occurring in 2014. The original knee injury resulted in a total knee replacement. However, plaintiff had ongoing complaints of pain, contending he was unable to work for that reason, despite having been released to full duty work by the treating physician and by a subsequent IME physician. Examinations were normal and physicians could identify no medical reason plaintiff could not work. As a result, he had no medical evidence taking him off work, despite continuing medical attention. In a 2018 decision the Single Hearing Member found claimant was at MMI in 2017, was not entitled to additional TTD benefits, assigned a 31% PPI of his right leg and retained jurisdiction over the matter.
In subsequent appearances, the judge issued an order requiring plaintiff to participate in an FCE, his refusal to attend the FCE previously recommended. Eventually, the treating physician began a course of conservative treatment for IT Band syndrome with a later recommendation the plaintiff have IT band surgery, which was done in 2023. Following an additional hearing the judge concluded the ITB surgery was necessary to limit or reduce the 31% PPI, which is allowed under the Indiana Worker’s Compensation Act following a PPI award, and denied plaintiff’s request for additional TTD based on its conclusion he had reached MMI in 2017.
The Court of Appeals upheld the decision of the
Indiana Board, supporting appropriate post MMI/PPI palliative medical care and
supporting no TTD owed following that finding given the consistent medical
opinions plaintiff could work.
INDIANA
TTD AND PPI RATES
BEGIN JULY 1, 2023
The new statutory TTD and PPI rates for injuries occurring after July 1, 2023. Rates are reflected in this summary:
|
Date of Injury
|
Max AWW
|
Max TTD
|
Maximum
|
|
07/01/16- 06/30/23 |
$1,170 |
$780 |
$390,000 |
|
07/01/2023 |
$1,205 |
$804 |
$402,000 |
|
07/01/2024 |
$1,241 |
$828 |
$414,000 |
|
07/01/2025 |
$1,278 |
$852 |
$426,000 |
|
07/01/2026 |
$1,316 |
$878 |
$439,000 |
Minimum Weekly AWW, $75; Minimum TTD $75= Minimum Maximum Compensation of $37,500.00.
|
Body Part
|
Degrees
|
Body Part
|
Degrees
|
|
Upper Body
Thumb Index Finger Second Finger Third Finger Fourth Finger Hand below elbow Arm above elbow |
Degrees
12 8 7 6 4 40 50 |
Lower Body
Great toe Second toe Third toe Fourth toe Fifth toe Foot below knee Leg above knee |
Degrees
12 6 4 3 2 35 45 |
|
Vision/Hearing
Complete hearing loss, one ear
Complete hearing loss, both ears
Vision loss to 1/10 of normal vision
|
15
40
35
|
Other loss
One Testicle Both testicles
Both hands, both feet, total vision in both eyes or two such loss in same accident |
10 30
100 |
|
Whole Body |
100 |
|
|
|
Date of Injury on
|
Degrees
|
Dollars Per Degree
|
|
7/01/16-06/30/23 |
1-10 |
$1,750 |
|
|
11-35 |
$1,952 |
|
|
36-50 |
$3,186 |
|
|
51-100 |
$4,060 |
|
7/01/23 |
1-10 |
$1,803 |
|
|
11-35 |
$2,011 |
|
|
36-50 |
$3,282 |
|
|
51-100 |
$4,182 |
|
7/01/24 |
1-10 |
$1,857 |
|
|
11-35 |
$2,071 |
|
|
36-50 |
$3,380 |
|
|
51-100 |
$4,307 |
|
7/01/25 |
1-10 |
$1,913 |
|
|
11-35 |
$2,133 |
|
|
36-50 |
$3,481 |
|
|
51-100 |
$4,436 |
|
07/01/26 |
1-10 |
$1,970 |
|
|
11-35 |
$2,197 |
|
|
36-50 |
$3,585 |
|
|
51-100 |
$4,569 |
*Amputation: Calculated by doubling the dollar
amount of PPI rating. I.C. §22-3-3-10 (i)(1)
Effective 1-1-23 – Ambulatory Outpatient Surgery Centers (ASC) are added to the definition of “medical service facility” under the worker’s compensation law. ASC’s will be reimbursed at the 200% of Medicare rate for the same procedure provided in the same facility on the same day.
IC 22-3-10 is amended to increase compensation payable for permanent impairment for injuries:
Degrees of July 1, 2023 July 1, 2024 July 1, 2025 July 1, 2026
Impairment:
1 – 10 $1,803 per $1,857 per $1,913 per $1,970 per
degree degree degree degree
11 – 35 $2,011 per $2,071 per $2,133 per $2,197 per
degree degree degree degree
36 – 50 $3,282 per $3,380 per $3,481 per $3,585 per
degree degree degree degree
Above 50 $4,182 per $4,307 per $4,436 per $4,569 per
degree degree degree degree
The maximum average weekly wage for determining compensation of permanent impairment, temporary total disability and temporary partial disability is increased for injuries occurring on and after July 1, 2023, occurring on and after July 1, 2024, occurring on and after July 1, 2025, and occurring on and after July 1, 2026:
Maximum average weekly wage:
July 1, 2023 July 1, 2024 July 1, 2025 July 1, 2026
$1,205 $1,241 $1,278 $1,316
The maximum compensation payable, exclusive of medical benefits, is increased for injuries occurring on and after July 1, 2023, occurring on and after July 1, 2024, occurring on and after July 1, 2025, and occurring on and after July 1, 2026:
Maximum compensation, exclusive of medical benefits:
July 1, 2023 July 1, 2024 July 1, 2025 July 1, 2026
$402,000 $414,000 $426,000 $439,000
IC 22-3-7-16 and IC 22-3-7-19 of the Occupational Diseases Act are amended to provide the same increase in benefits for disablements occurring on and after July 1, 2023, on and after July 1, 2024, on and after July 1, 2025, and on and after July 1, 2026. §4.8
Case Law Update:
Reported Case:
Palmer v. Ake, 181 N.E.3rd 421(Ind. App. 2021). In Palmer the Plaintiff was working on the roof of a pole barn and was injured when part of the building collapsed. The building was located on property owned by Ake who was the owner of Fas-Pak, Inc., a company that is in the business of liquid filling and packaging. Ake stated that it was his intent to use the pole barn for vehicle repairs and storing equipment. Some of the pole barn would be used by his family for personal reasons.
Palmer sued in state court for negligence and Ake filed a motion to dismiss claiming that Palmer’s exclusive remedy was worker’s compensation. The trial court granted the motion to dismiss for want of subject matter jurisdiction.
In reversing the trial court, the Court of Appeals used the factors discussed in Moberly v. Day, 757 N.E.2d 1007(Ind. 2001) (discussed in this Section) where the Supreme Court set forth a ten factor analysis that is used by courts to determine whether one acts as an independent contractor or employee. The court then concluded that majority of the factors favored independent contractor status, specifically the fact that the Plaintiff worked as a laborer/carpenter on a project, that Plaintiff had specialized skills and experience in carpentry work, used his own tools, and did not perform continuous service for Ake. §3.8
Special Analysis of Memorandum Case:
The Court of Appeals in a memorandum decision issued a decision in 2021 that is of interest to practitioners. While a memorandum decision may not be cited as authority, in Allen v. Smithfield Packaged Meatgroups, Corp., 173 N.E.3rd 1076 (Ind. App. 2021), the court addressed the issue of whether a worker can sue their employer in court for negligence if the employer asserts an affirmative defense pursuant to IC 22-3-2-8 in the worker’s compensation claim. Simply stated, IC 22-3-2-8 bars compensation if the injury is due to the employee’s knowingly self-inflicted injury, commission of an offense, knowing failure to use a safety appliance, knowing failure to obey a reasonable written rule of the employer which has been posted in a conspicuous position in the place of work, or the employee’s knowing failure to perform any statutory duty. The burden of proof is on the defendant.
In Allen, the worker suffered injury when her left arm became caught in a conveyor belt. Allen filed a claim for worker’s compensation; however, the defendant alleged the affirmative defense that Allen knowingly failed to use a safety appliance and knowing failed to use a safety appliance, and the failures caused the injury. Allen then filed a claim for negligence in the Miami Superior Court claiming that the employer waived the exclusivity of the Indiana Worker’s Compensation Act by invoking fault as a defense under IC 22-3-2-8. The trial court dismissed Allen’s negligent action for want of subject matter jurisdiction.
In affirming the trial court’s dismissal for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, the court pointed out that Allen cited no authority supporting the argument that when an employer raises an affirmative defense under IC 22-3-2-8 the exclusivity provision of the Act no longer applies. The court also noted that whether the affirmative defense applies is litigated in the worker’s compensation proceeding. Finally, the court reminded that if Allen does not prevail in front of the single hearing member, she has the right to have the decision reviewed by the Full Board, the Court of Appeals and finally the Indiana Supreme Court.
This decision addresses the question that has pended a long time amongst worker’s compensation practitioners. That is, whether the affirmative defenses listed in IC 22-3-2-8 causes what may be a compensable injury to no longer be compensable. The holding in Allen, again not precedent, suggests that while an injury may be compensable, the IC 22-3-2-8 affirmative defenses act simply as a bar to compensation. The injury is compensable, but compensation is barred.
Cell: (317) 695-0552
The 2022 Indiana legislature enacted a clarifying change to the statute of limitations under the Worker’s Compensation Act due to recent challenges to a long-held practice honoring the Board’s position that plaintiffs have two years from the last date for which compensation has been paid for an accepted injury claim to file its Application for Adjustment of Claim.
Statute of Limitations
I.C. 22-3-3-3, effective July 1, 2022, now confirms the two-year period within which an Application for Adjustment of Claim must be filed to begin running on the last day for compensation was paid after the occurrence of an accident for which compensation is paid as temporary total or temporary partial disability benefits.
Increased Benefits
The Act was amended to increase temporary total disability and benefits for payment of permanent partial impairment beginning July 1, 2023 with regular 3% increases through 2026.
Contact Diana Wann: diana.wann@jacksonkelly.com for a schedule of rates and benefits through 2026.
Ambulatory Surgery Centers Included in 200% of Medicare Cap
Ambulatory surgery centers were defined and included in the medical cap of 200% of Medicare reimbursement as used by CMS previously affecting hospitals only, effective January 1, 2023.
Clean Claim Provision Added, I.C. 22-3-7.2, Payments of Claims
Clean Claim payment deadlines were established, effective January 1,2023.
Two fairly recent cases, including a Court of Appeals decision, as well as an interesting but unappealed decision entered by the Full Worker’s Compensation Board, serve as instruction on the most basic analysis defense may make in an initial case review: whether the plaintiff’s case has been, or can be, timely brought.
The Indiana Worker’s Compensation Act provides medical benefits and compensation for disability and permanent impairment for employees who sustain “personal injury by accident arising out of and in the course of” a covered employment relationship. Upon notice of a reported or alleged accidental injury, the employer has a statutory duty to investigate the claim and to accept or deny the claim within certain time frames. Under the Act, two statutes govern the time frame in which the Board’s jurisdiction may be invoked by the employee. In cases in which no compensation has been paid or in which compensability is disputed, Ind. Code § 22-3-3-3 provides that the employee has two (2) years from the date of the alleged injury to file an action with the Board. That statute is a claims-made provision, is jurisdictional, and unlike some civil statutes of limitation, cannot be waived or tolled. Ind. Code § 22-3-3-3 is a nonclaim statute, as opposed to a general statute of limitations. It “forever” bars plaintiff’s claim after two years, which cannot be resurrected by waiver or stipulation.1
The Act also provides, however, that claims in which compensation has been paid may be reopened by the parties or modified by the Board “on account of a change of conditions.” Ind. Code § 22-3- 3-27. Section 27(c) provides that an Application to reopen such a compensable claim must be filed within two (2) years “from the last day for which compensation was paid” under the Act.
Practitioners are often uncertain as to which statute may govern a particular set of facts, often struggling to understand the rulings of single hearing members on the issue. In mid-2020, the Indiana Worker’s Compensation Board addressed a dispute regarding the applicable time limitations in a matter captioned Sampson v. Kova Ag Products, Inc. Although that matter was not appealed and the Board’s administrative decisions do not have precedential value, the Board’s decision in that matter may provide insight into the distinction between Ind. Code § 22-3-3-3 and Ind. Code § 22-3-3-27. Shortly thereafter, the Indiana Court of Appeals handed down an opinion in another time limitations case, Gilley’s Antique Mall v. Sarver, 157 N.E.3d 549 (Ind. Ct. App. 2020), trans. denied. These two cases illuminate the nuances in applying Ind. Code § 22-3-3-3 and Ind. Code § 22-3-3-27 and provide new guidance to even the most seasoned worker’s compensation professional.
Many worker’s compensation cases are initiated with the Board with the filing of an Application for Adjustment of Claim, the administrative equivalent of a complaint in a civil action. In cases that for any reason were not accepted as compensable by the employer, or in which no compensation was paid under the Act, the right to worker’s compensation is forever barred if an
Application is not filed within two years of the occurrence of the accident, or if death results therefrom, two years after such death. See Ind. Code § 22-3-3-3.
In the Gilley’s matter, the employee was injured on November 10, 2015 while working on a roofing project at Gilley’s Antique Mall for his employer, Humphrey’s Construction. The employee fell through a foam board covering a hole in the roof. Because Humphreys was uninsured, liability for the injury fell upon Gilley’s, as it had failed to secure a certificate that Humphrey’s had worker’s compensation insurance. The employee received medical treatment for multiple injuries, which may have been privately paid or may have remained outstanding, as there was a lack of worker’s compensation insurance coverage.
On May 17, 2017, the employee filed an Application with the Board naming the K & K Group2 as a defendant and seeking to recover compensation for the injuries of November 15, 2015. On March 19, 2018, he filed an amended Application asserting claims against Gilley’s and Jeff Line (later correcting Line to Hines), asserting that Humphrey’s did not have insurance coverage. Gilley’s and Hines filed Motions to Dismiss, alleging that the employee had failed to add them as defendants within the two-year limitation period provided at Ind. Code § 22-3-3-3.
A Board member granted the Motions, and Plaintiff sought review by the Full Worker’s Compensation Board. Following a hearing on December 6, 2019, the Full Board reversed the decision of the hearing member and, relying on 631 I.A.C. 1-1-7 governing the joinder of additional parties, determined the employee could add additional defendants at any time after his claim commenced, providing his initial Application against the statutory employer was timely filed, which it was. Gilley’s and Hines appealed.
The Court of Appeals found that the Board had improperly relied on 631 I.A.C. 1-1-7. That provision allows for joinder of defendants and authorizes the Board “at any time, upon a proper showing, or of its own motion, to order any additional party be joined, when it deems the presence of the party necessary.” But, the Court noted, “there is no statutory authority for the Board to increase the length of time in the statute of limitations for filing claims.” With regard to the issue of timeliness of joining additional defendants, Sarver is a case of first impression, and emphasizes for practitioners the long-standing requirement that initial claims must be filed against the employer and all potential defendants within two years after occurrence of an alleged accidental injury.
Now to complicate things a little.
As noted above, a worker’s compensation claim may be reopened for an alleged “change of conditions” under Ind. Code § 22-3-3-27:
(a) The power and jurisdiction of the worker’s compensation board over each case shall be continuing and from time to time it may, upon its own motion or upon the application of either party, on account of a change in conditions, make such
modification or change in the award ending, lessening, continuing, or extending the payments previously awarded, either by agreement or upon hearing, as it may deem just, subject to the maximum and minimum provided for in IC 22-3- 2 through IC 22-3-6.
…..
(c) The board shall not make any such modification upon its own motion nor shall any application therefor be filed by either party after the expiration of two (2) years from the last day for which compensation was paid. The board may at any time correct any clerical error in any finding or award.
In Gilley’s v. Sarver, no compensation was ever paid to the employee. As such, the employee was required by Ind. Code § 22-3-3-3 to file an Application no later than two years from the occurrence. In the matter of Sampson v. Kova Ag Products, however, the employee’s initial claim was accepted by the employer, which paid medical benefits and compensation under the Act. The latter is a typical scenario and is perhaps more common than the filing of an original Application in a disputed case. This fact distinguishes the Act’s two statutory times limitation provisions.
The majority of claims reported and overseen by the Indiana Worker’s Compensation Board (more than 56,000 annually), include a work injury report, employer-provided medical benefits, and compensation for disability and any resulting permanent injury. Accepted claims for work-related injuries are handled under the principal of the “great compromise”, the requirement that injured workers must accept and employers must pay prescribed benefits limited to employer-provided medical treatment, compensation for disability and compensation for permanent injuries. A liberal construction of the law is required to further the act’s humane purposes.
Sampson was injured while working for Kova Ag Products on August 19, 2015. He reported his injury to his employer and its insurance carrier, and his claim was accepted as compensable. The employer provided medical benefits under the Act and, pursuant to an Agreement to Compensation it prepared, paid Sampson compensation for Temporary Total Disability benefits (TTD). The employer then issued and filed a statutorily-required Notice on State Form 389113 that compensation for TTD would be discontinued as of November 8, 2016.
Plaintiff contended he was entitled to additional benefits or compensation under the Act and filed an Application with the Board on August 21, 2017 (amending it on August 23, 2018 to specifically allege a change in conditions). The Application was filed more than two years after the August 19, 2015 work injury, but less than two years after November 8, 2016, the last date for which compensation was paid.
Defendant moved to dismiss, asserting that the Application was untimely pursuant to Ind. Code § 22-3-3-3 because it was not filed within two years of the original accidental injury. A member of the Board denied the Motion to Dismiss, and the employer appealed to the Full Worker’s
3 Defense later contended TTD was not paid, despite its acknowledgment in filing the 1043 that TTD was paid.
Compensation Board. Following a hearing on August 31, 2020, the Full Board affirmed the hearing member, finding the Application was timely filed and remanding the case to the single hearing member for hearing on the merits. The Full Board’s decision was not appealed to the Courts and is now final. It may provide some insight into the Board’s analysis of the two distinct time limitation provisions contained in the Act.
Ind. Code § 22-3-3-3 provides a jurisdictional two-year filing deadline for a “claim” under the Act. While attorneys may consider a “claim” to be a formal Application, in the context of the compensable claim in the Sampson matter, the Full Board, in a detailed decision, observed that a “claim” may include a formal filing, but may also include the reporting of an injury and the procedure of providing medical benefits and paying compensation to injured workers as prescribed by the Act. In this case, the Board found that the employer accepted and paid the employee’s claim until it discontinued compensation as of November 8, 2016. Up to that date, no dispute existed between the parties. Indeed, our Court of Appeals has held that during the time in which no dispute exists, the filing of an Application may be premature.4 The distinction is illustrated in these two cases: acceptance of compensability and payment of compensation in Sampson, as opposed to no compensation being paid to plaintiff in the Sarver matter.
In the Sampson matter, the Board found that compensation for TTD had been paid, so the employee had two years from the last date for which compensation was paid on November 8, 2016, to file an Application, and the August 21, 2017 filing was therefore timely.
Despite having accepted Sarver’s claim as compensable, and having paid compensation for TTD as documented in an Agreement to Compensation, the employer argued that since the Agreement to Compensation had not been “signed” by plaintiff and “approved” by the board, it did not constitute an agreement and its payments of TTD did not constitute “compensation” for purposes of determining the deadline for filing an Application under Ind. Code § 22-3-3-27. Defendant, relying on a 1925 case, attempted to argue that the payments it made to the employee as documented by its filed Agreement were “voluntary” and did not constitute “compensation” under the Act. Defendant argued that a formally signed and Board-approved agreement was required. The Board disagreed. Defendant paid and Sarver accepted payments for lost wages for a period of over one year and three months pursuant to an Agreement that Defendant itself had prepared. Furthermore, the board’s current practice of accepting compensation Agreements in electronic form (rather than paper copies circulated and filed by U.S. Mail) has evolved substantially since 1925.
4 Globe Valve Corp. v Thomas, 424 N.E.2d 155 (Ind. Ct. App. 1981).
In its decision, the Full Board recited its consistency over the years in deciding the timeliness of Applications to reopen claims. Indeed, the Board’s enabling statute, Ind. Code § 22-3-1-3, grants it the ongoing power and jurisdiction to modify or change awards – as long as an Application for same is otherwise timely filed. In both Fitzgerald v. U.S. Steel, 892 N.E.2d 659 (Ind. Ct. App. 2008), and Krause v. IUPUI, 866 N.E.2d 846 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007), Indiana Courts have upheld the ongoing jurisdiction of the Board over previous awards. As the Court noted in Krause, it upheld the Board’s allowance of an Application within two years of the last day for which compensation was paid in reliance on the Board’s interpretation of the statute it administers and “in light of its expertise.”
As the Board award noted, to find otherwise would result in an inhumane interpretation of the principle on which the Indiana Act, and similar laws nationally, were enacted. If not for the ongoing jurisdiction of the board under Ind. Code § 22-3-3-27, the workers most significantly impacted would be those severely and permanently injured for whom medical treatment and ongoing compensation for disability is routinely provided by statute for a period of years. If the employer’s arguments were adopted, those injured workers would be required to hire counsel and file Applications within two years of the original injury simply to avoid losing employer-provided medical care after two years, even in an otherwise accepted and compensable case. The result would be increased legal costs and litigation expenses to employers and employees alike, along with significantly increased and pointless litigation.
The instructive guidance in these two cases clarifies and assists worker’s compensation attorneys in our ability to provide counsel to our clients and appropriately defend untimely filed cases.
Submitted by:
Diana L. Wann Jackson Kelly PLLC 317-695-0552
diana.wann@jacksonkelly.com 221 NW 5th St.
Evansville, IN 47706
On March 25, 2018, the General Assembly of the State of Indiana enacted Senate Bill 290. Effective July 1, 2018, this bill enacts the following Workers’ Compensation changes:
1. Provides that the following must be tendered to an employee not later than fifteen (15) days after the date of the physician’s statement (ref. § 22-3-3-10.5):
A. A proposed permanent partial impairment agreement
B. The associated physician’s statement required
C. The employee waiver of examination
D. A hand/foot chart, if necessary
2. A permanent partial impairment agreement signed by the employee, along with the supporting documentation, must be submitted to the Workers’ Compensation Board for approval not later than fifteen (15) days after the date of receipt from the employee (ref. § 22-3-3-10.5).
3. Not later than thirty (30) days after the date the Workers’ Compensation Board approves the permanent partial impairment agreement, one of the following amounts must be paid (ref. § 22-3-3-10.5):
A. The first weekly installment of a compensation for permanent partial impairment
B. The lump sum, if the compensation is to be paid in a lump sum
4. Voluntary Settlement Agreements. Provides that payment of compensation under a settlement agreement must be made not later than thirty (30) days after the date the Workers’ Compensation Board approves the agreement (ref. § 22-3-2-15).
5. Notice; Workers’ Compensation Coverage. Requires an employer that has mobile or remote employees to convey information about Workers’ Compensation coverage to the employer’s employees in an electronic format or in the same manner as the employer conveys other employment related information (ref. § 22-3-2-22).
6. Payments; Total Disability; Waiting Period. Allows the electronic filing of a temporary total or partial disability compensation agreement with the Board (ref. § 22-3-3-7).
7. Payments; Second Injuries. Provides that permanently, totally disabled worker must reapply to the second injury fund for wage replacement benefit every three (3) years instead of every 150 weeks (ref. § 22-3-3-13)
8. Payments; Time of Payment. Provides that an award of compensation ordered by a single hearing member of the Workers’ Compensation Board must be paid not later than thirty (30) days after the date of the award, or as the award provides, if the award is not appealed to the full Board (ref. § 22-3-3-24).
9. Report of Injuries and Deaths. Requires the reporting of workplace injuries needing medical attention beyond first aid instead of injuries causing an absence from work for more than one day. Provides that reporting requirements for workplace injuries are intended to be consistent with the recording requirements set out in the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s regulations (ref. § 22-3-4-13).
10. Workers’ Occupational Disease Compensation; Reports of Disablements. Requires the reporting of workplace injuries needing medical attention beyond first aid instead of injuries causing an absence from work for more than one day. Provides that reporting requirements for workplace injuries are intended to be consistent with the recording requirements set out in the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s regulations (ref. § 22-3-7-37).
EFFECTIVE DATE
July 1, 2018
Indiana Court of Appeals Upholds Order of TTD Owed for Period During Which Employee Terminated for Misconduct
The Indiana Court of Appeals has clarified an issue long disputed by the Indiana worker’s compensation community. That is, whether TTD (temporary total disability) is owed when plaintiff is unavailable for work for reasons unrelated to the injury per I.C. 22-3-3-7(c). In this case employee had been terminated for misconduct. Employee contended he could not do the fully duty work he had been released to do resulting in a verbal altercation with his supervisor in which he cursed and threw an ice pack. The court affirmed the Board decision ordering payment of temporary total disability benefits from the date of injury to the date of decision and ongoing.
In Masterbrand Cabinets v. Waid, Court of Appeals Case No. 93A-1609-EX-2228, the court confirmed that I.C. 22-3-3-7(c), allows termination of TTD benefits where the employee is unable or unavailable to work for reasons unrelated to the injury (i.e., termination of employment for misconduct), but noted that the statute does not require the work to be for the same employer as when the employee was injured. Rather, the court determined that even though the employee was terminated from his employment, the relevant inquiry is whether his inability to work, even for other employers, was related to his injury. Since his inability to work was related to his injury, and his termination occurred prior to having received any TTD benefits (there was no “termination of benefits” involved), Waid’s termination for misconduct did not prevent him from receiving TTD benefits as a result of his injury. The court’s language stating the relevant inquiry is whether the inability to workany job is related to employee’s injury would appear to apply to instances where employee’s work has been terminated with the relevant employer regardless of the basis and whether voluntary or involuntary.