Case Name: Judy POSPISIL, Appellant, v. OSMOND LINCOLN MERCURY and Hartford Fire Insurance, Appellees
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2002-07-16
Citations: 820 So. 2d 1076
Docket Number: No. 1D01-2266
Parties: Judy POSPISIL, Appellant, v. OSMOND LINCOLN MERCURY and Hartford Fire Insurance, Appellees.
Judges: ALLEN, C.J., and ERVIN, J., CONCUR.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 820
Pages: 1076–1077

Head Matter:
Judy POSPISIL, Appellant, v. OSMOND LINCOLN MERCURY and Hartford Fire Insurance, Appellees.
No. 1D01-2266.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.
July 16, 2002.
Alfred Hilado, Orlando, and Bill McCabe, Longwood, for Appellant.
Michael J. Poché and Robert A. Donahue of Rissman, Weisberg, Barrett, Hurt, Donahue & McLain, P.A., Vero Beach, for Appellees.

Opinion:
KAHN, J.
Although the Judge of Compensation Claims (JCC) did not err in calculation of average weekly wage, the JCC did err by refusing to award statutory impairment benefits. "An employee's entitlement to impairment benefits begins the day after the employee reaches maximum medical improvement or the expiration of temporary benefits, whichever occurs earlier § 440.15(3)(a)3, Fla. Stat. (1997). Here, it is undisputed that claimant sought impairment benefits after exhausting her statutorily-limited 104 weeks of temporary disability. Although the evidence concerning maximum medical improvement was in dispute, claimant produced testimony of permanent impairment from at least two physicians. "The legislature clearly contemplated that temporary indemnity benefits may expire before a claimant has reached maximum medical improvement and provided for the alternative of impairment benefits." Integrated Adm'rs v. Sackett, 799 So.2d 448, 449 (Fla. 1st DCA 2001). Contrary to the argument made by the appellees in the present case, the Legislature apparently did not contemplate that a gap period of no benefits would intervene between the expiration of temporary indemnity benefits and payment of impairment benefits.
REVERSED and REMANDED for further proceedings.
ALLEN, C.J., and ERVIN, J., CONCUR.