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The employer and its insurance carrier appealed a permanent partial disability award to an employee in a worker’s compensation case. Appellants argued that the employee's injuries were confined to a scheduled member (right leg and foot) and therefore, the disability rating should be based on statutory schedules, not apportioned to the body as a whole. The court found that the employee sustained a severe fracture to the right leg and ankle, rated by an orthopedic surgeon as 50% permanent partial disability to the foot/ankle, or 35% to the leg, or 14% to the whole person per medical guidelines. However, the appellate court ruled that statutory schedules for scheduled member injuries must control over medical impairment ratings that translate to a body as a whole disability. Consequently, the trial court's judgment was reversed, and the case remanded for a redetermination of the disability rating based solely on the injury to the right leg as a scheduled member.
Reagan v. Tennessee Municipal League is a workers' compensation case decided in Tennessee Supreme Court. This case addresses legal issues related to compensation claims, benefits, and court rulings.
It is commonly referenced in legal research involving workers' compensation laws in Tennessee Supreme Court.
Full Decision Text1 Pages
The employer and its insurance carrier appealed a permanent partial disability award to an employee in a worker’s compensation case. Appellants argued that the employee's injuries were confined to a scheduled member (right leg and foot) and therefore, the disability rating should be based on statutory schedules, not apportioned to the body as a whole. The court found that the employee sustained a severe fracture to the right leg and ankle, rated by an orthopedic surgeon as 50% permanent partial disability to the foot/ankle, or 35% to the leg, or 14% to the whole person per medical guidelines. However, the appellate court ruled that statutory schedules for scheduled member injuries must control over medical impairment ratings that translate to a body as a whole disability. Consequently, the trial court's judgment was reversed, and the case remanded for a redetermination of the disability rating based solely on the injury to the right leg as a scheduled member.
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