LaCroix v. Syracuse Executive Air Service, Inc.
This case concerns whether Workers’ Compensation Law allows for lump-sum payment of "schedule loss of use" awards for permanent partial disability, or if payments must be made periodically. Claimant Marie LaCroix, a baggage handler, fractured her wrist and tore her rotator cuff, leading to a 75% loss of use of her left arm. The Workers’ Compensation Board and Appellate Division affirmed a lump-sum payment. However, the Court of Appeals reversed, holding that the statute's directive for "periodically" payments precludes a lump-sum policy, unless specific commutation procedures for individual cases are followed, requiring actuarial reduction. The court emphasized that any departure from periodic payment must originate from the Legislature.