Opinion ID: 1790315
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: amount of disability determination

Text: The Commission and the circuit court differed in computing the average weekly wage of the claimant. Mississippi Code Annotated section 71-3-31 (1972) specifies that the wage shall be computed based upon the earnings for the fifty-two weeks prior to the date of injury. The date of injury and resulting disability as determined by the Commission and concurred in by the circuit court was September 1, 1972. The average weekly wage should be computed based upon the earnings of claimant in the fifty-two weeks prior to September 1, 1972. The only evidence with regard to wages was the wage statement form of the Commission. Utilizing that and the computations directed by Mississippi Code Annotated section 71-3-31 (1972), we find that the calculations were erroneous. The statute specifies that: (1) the employee's earnings for the fifty-two weeks immediately preceding the date of injury should be totaled; (2) where, as here, the employee has lost more than seven days during that period, the earnings during the fifty-two weeks should be divided by the number of weeks remaining after the time lost is deducted. Applying that to the instant case, September 1, 1972, the date of injury and resulting disability is the beginning point. Since it would be impractical to begin counting in the middle of a weekly pay period, the last day of the work week immediately preceding the date of injury, here, the week ending August 27, 1972 is the first week. With that weekly wage as the first of the fifty-two, the calculation should go back fifty-two weeks. Here the fifty-second week would be the week ending September 5, 1971. The sum of wages during that period should then be calculated. Since there was error in determining the average weekly wage, there is inherent error in the amount of disability compensation awarded, and the Commission should redetermine the average weekly wage with correction of any resulting effect on the amount of disability compensation.