Case Name: CITY OF NORTH BAY VILLAGE and Insurance Servicing and Adjusting Company, Appellants, v. James COOK, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1993-04-16
Citations: 617 So. 2d 753
Docket Number: No. 92-00160
Parties: CITY OF NORTH BAY VILLAGE and Insurance Servicing and Adjusting Company, Appellants, v. James COOK, Appellee.
Judges: BOOTH and WEBSTER, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 617
Pages: 753–755

Head Matter:
CITY OF NORTH BAY VILLAGE and Insurance Servicing and Adjusting Company, Appellants, v. James COOK, Appellee.
No. 92-00160.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.
April 16, 1993.
Rehearing Denied May 28, 1993.
Iliana Forte of Almeyda & Hill, Miami, for appellants.
Karen K. Schroll, Miami, for appellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
This cause is before us on appeal from an order awarding previously offset workers' compensation benefits pursuant to Barragan v. City of Miami, 545 So.2d 252, 255 (Fla.1989). The employer and carrier (E/C) contend that the judge of compensation claims (JCC) erred in denying the inclusion of state supplemental benefits in the calculation of claimant's average monthly wage.
On February 4, 1984, claimant was injured in a work-related accident. Claimant was accepted as permanently and totally disabled and has been receiving the maximum compensation rate allowable since the date of the accident. In addition, claimant receives the five-percent supplemental benefit paid pursuant to section 440.15(l)(e)l, Florida Statutes (1983).
On May 9, 1985, claimant began receiving disability retirement benefits from the City of North Bay Village, payable from the pension fund. This payment was reduced by the amount of claimant's workers' compensation benefits.
On June 25, 1990, claimant filed a claim for benefits, asserting that he was entitled to the previously-reduced workers' compensation benefits pursuant to Barragan, supra. At final hearing, the E/C argued that the supplemental benefits paid pursuant to section 440.15(l)(e)l, Florida Statutes (1983), should be added to the permanent total disability and pension benefits, but the sum cannot exceed the average monthly wage cap as set forth in Barragan. The JCC ruled that state supplemental benefits should not be included in the calculation of claimant's average monthly wage and, accordingly, awarded the full offset benefits.
In Barragan, supra, 545 So.2d at 255, the Supreme Court held:
The employer may not offset workers' compensation payments against an employee's pension benefits except to the extent that the total of the two exceeds the employee's average monthly wage, [emphasis added]
Section 440.02(6), Florida Statutes (1983), provides in pertinent part:
"Compensation" means the money allowance payable to an employee or to his dependents as provided for in this chapter.
Section 440.15(l)(e)l, Florida Statutes (1983), states in pertinent part:
In case of permanent total disability resulting from injuries which occurred subsequent to June 30, 1955, . the injured employee shall receive from the division additional weekly compensation benefits equal to 5 percent of the injured employee's weekly compensation rate, [emphasis added]
Supplemental benefits are compensation payments provided under section 440.-15(l)(e)l, Florida Statutes (1983), and should have been considered as part of claimant's total compensation payments in calculating the offset. Barragan, supra.
Accordingly, the order is reversed and remanded for proceedings consistent herewith.
BOOTH and WEBSTER, JJ., concur.
ERVIN, J., dissents with written opinion.