Opinion ID: 1707184
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: did the claimant have any temporary total disability?

Text: The employer contends that because claimant's tremors are permanent once they began, she is not entitled to temporary disability. The Administrative Judge found that, according to the testimony of Dr. Curtis Graf, as of December 13, 1979, the claimant had reached a point at which she was fairly stable with her illness and probably had reached maximum medical improvement. Based on this factual finding, the employer was ordered to pay the claimant temporary total disability benefits in the amount of $62.66 per week beginning on May 27, 1977, and continuing thereafter until December 13, 1979. 2 Larson's Workmen's Compensation Law § 57.12(b) explains that temporary total disability is intended to compensate the claimant during the period of healing following the usual industrial injury. This period is followed by recovery, or stabilization of the condition. Professor Larson's treatise identifies this issue as involving both medical and non-medical components. The medical component involves a determination that further strengthening may be anticipated. § 57.12(c). The non-medical component involves facts touching on claimant's employment situation. § 57.12(d). As stated in General Elec. Co. v. McKinnon, 507 So.2d 363, 366 (Miss. 1987): In accordance with the statute, compensation shall be paid for permanent partial disability following payment for temporary total disability. Therefore, an employee may be entitled to the maximum compensation for his permanent partial disability in addition to compensation for his temporary total disability, . .. . See Mississippi Code Annotated, § 71-3-17(b), (c). From the Administrative Judge's finding and Dr. Graf's deposition, it is apparent that prior to December 13, 1979 claimant's tremors were either not controllable or unpredictable to the extent that she could not function normally. The record indicates that various medications were used on Ms. Smith to control the tremors. Some worked better than others. Therefore, even though the condition was a permanent partial disability from its initial onset, until the tremors were controllable or predictable the condition was totally disabling. We find that the Administrative Judge was correct in finding that Dr. Graf's testimony supported an award of total temporary disability payments. This assignment is without merit and the award of temporary total disability is affirmed.