Opinion ID: 1730892
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: compensation court proceedings

Text: Trial was had before a single judge of the Workers' Compensation Court in October 2006. The single judge, relying on Lockwood's opinion, found that Stacy was temporarily totally disabled from the date of the accident until reaching maximum medical improvement on January 20, 2005. The single judge found that Stacy's RSD affected his leg, producing a scheduled member injury, and that [w]ith respect to the anticoagulation therapy, the Court is not persuaded that it produces any limitations in [Stacy] not already produced by the permanent impairment to [Stacy's] right leg. The single judge agreed with Scheer that Stacy's right leg was totally impaired. But the single judge found that because of the available job with Bridgeport Tractor, Stacy was not entitled to vocational rehabilitation benefits. The single judge did find that Stacy was entitled to future medical care as was reasonable and necessary to treat his injury. And finally, the single judge awarded waiting-time fees based on Bridgeport Tractor's failure to pay benefits for approximately 6 weeks after the injury. But the court found a reasonable controversy to have existed with respect to the extent of Stacy's permanent impairment after his date of maximum medical improvement and did not award waiting-time penalties or an attorney fee for that period. The single judge awarded compensation for temporary total disability, and then for 100-percent permanent loss of a scheduled member, the right leg. Stacy filed an application for review. The review panel found that the single judge's finding that Stacy suffered a scheduled member injury to his right leg was not clearly erroneous. The review panel found little evidence in the record to suggest that Stacy suffered whole-body consequences from deep vein thrombosis or RSD. The review panel affirmed the single judge's finding of the date of maximum medical improvement. And the review panel affirmed the single judge's refusal to award vocational rehabilitation benefits. Finally, the review panel affirmed the single judge's finding of a reasonable controversy regarding the extent of Stacy's permanent impairment. Stacy appeals.