FARM STORES AND EMPLOYERS INSURANCE OF WAUSAU, APPELLANTS,
v.
DARLENE DYRDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 1st DCA | 1980-06-09
No. QQ-286
ROBERT P. SMITH, Jr. and SHAW, JJ., concur., BOOTH, J., dissents with opinion.
384 So. 2d 269 Florida District Court of Appeal, First District (1980) Caution
Cited by 24 cases

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.

Synopsis

Farm Stores and its insurer appealed a workers' compensation award to Darlene Dyrda, challenging both the award of an unauthorized doctor's bill and an award of temporary partial disability benefits that were not explicitly claimed in the pretrial stipulation. The court affirmed the temporary partial disability award but reversed the unauthorized medical bill award.


Holding

The court affirmed the award of temporary partial disability benefits, finding no due process violation because the carrier had notice through the attorney's letter and the notice of hearing that temporary partial disability was at issue. The court reversed the award of Dr. Ticktin's unauthorized bill for services rendered while the employer/carrier was already providing medical attention.


Headnotes

[1] An award of medical bill expenses may be reversed if the services were unauthorized or rendered while the employer/carrier was voluntarily providing medical attention.

[2] A deputy commissioner ruling on issues not framed by the parties may raise due process concerns.

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Key Quotes

“if appellants agreed that appellee had not reached maximum medical improvement, and was less than temporarily and totally disabled, we find it difficult to apprehend such an element of surprise as to a finding of temporary partial disability that would justify a reversal for lack of due process.”

Court's reasoning from Sea Ray Boats case explaining why no due process violation occurs when temporary partial disability is awarded without explicit claim in pretrial stipulation

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Facts & Procedural History

Dyrda was a workers' compensation claimant against Farm Stores. The employer/carrier voluntarily provided medical attention and paid for certain servi…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

The order on appeal is affirmed except as to the award of Dr. Ticktin’s bill for services which were unauthorized and rendered at a time when the employer/carrier was voluntarily providing medical attention. The award of this bill is accordingly reversed. Corporate Group Services, Inc. v. Lymberis, 146 So. 2d 745 (Fla.1962); Sun Bank of Florida v. Hicks, IRC Order 2-3867 (July 25, 1979).

There is case support for the proposition that due process problems arise when the deputy commissioner undertakes to rule on issues not framed by the parties. Florida Production Engineering v. Fisher, IRC Order 2-3437, cert. denied, 368 So. 2d 1366 (Fla.1979); Alterman Transport Lines, Inc. v. Hawkins, IRC Order 2-3180 (1977), cert. denied, 354 So. 2d 978 (Fla.1977); U.S. Steel Corp. v. Green, 353 So. 2d 86 (Fla.1977); Haygood Floors, Inc. v. Nichols, 9 FCR 344 (1975).

The Florida Industrial Relations Commission, in Sea Ray Boats, Inc. v. Snedeker, 9 FCR 318 (1975), however, rejected the due process argument and affirmed the deputy commissioner’s award of unclaimed temporary partial disability benefits. In rejecting the appellants' argument that a claim for temporary total disability benefits would not allow for an award of temporary partial the Commission pointed out:

[I]f appellants agreed that appellee had not reached maximum medical improvement, and was less than temporarily and totally disabled, we find it difficult to apprehend such an element of surprise as to a finding of temporary partial disability that would justify a reversal for lack of due process.

The instant case is factually similar in that neither surprise nor prejudice is demonstrated. As in Snedeker, it is difficult to imagine that the carrier would not be on notice that the denial of claimed temporary total disability benefits might well result in an award of temporary partial where there is a gap between the cessation of temporary total disability and the date of maximum medical improvement.

We find no demonstrated prejudice or surprise, nor for that matter has any been alleged. The carrier relies upon the proposition that as a matter of law temporary partial disability benefits cannot be awarded because they were not claimed. This is not altogether true for although the claimant did not put such benefits at issue in the pretrial stipulation, Attorney Arthur Newman’s letter to the claims administrator set forth a claim for temporary partial disability benefits. A copy of this letter went to Farm Stores at 11190 West Flagler Street, Miami, Florida. According to the notice of hearing sent to the parties by the deputy commissioner on August 11, 1978, the following issues were in dispute: temporary total and/or partial, permanent total and/or partial, 40 weeks rehabilitation, medical expenses, nursing, transportation, medical care, penalties, interest, costs, attorney’s fees, average weekly wage. Bay Plumbing Co., Inc. v. Harbin, 337 So. 2d 799 (Fla.1976) affirms that issues are not framed as of the time of the hearing. Appellants’ argument is essentially the same argument raised in Bay Plumbing, supra, to wit: that since the claimant did not renew his claim for temporary partial disability benefits before the deputy commissioner, the carrier was denied due process notice. Justice Sundberg points out in Bay Plumbing that due process does not set so high a standard. The award of temporary partial benefits is accordingly affirmed.

ROBERT P. SMITH, Jr. and SHAW, JJ., concur. BOOTH, J., dissents with opinion.

Dissent
BOOTH, Judge,

BOOTH, Judge,

dissenting:

I dissent. Crews v. Town of Bay Harbor Islands, 378 So. 2d 1265 (Fla. 1st DCA 1979).

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Citator

Cited By (12 total)

  • Holiday Care Ctr. v. Scriven, 418 So. 2d 322 (Fla. 1st DCA 1982)
    …ing a claim for temporary partial disability benefits. The carrier was on notice during that period that, though total disability benefits were no longer due, the worker might be entitled to partial disability benefits. Compare Farm Stores v. Dyrda, 384 So. 2d 269, 270 (Fla. 1st DCA 1980), in which we said: [I]t is difficult to imagine that the carrier would not be on notice that the denial of claimed temporary total disability benefits might well result in an award of temporary partial where there is a gap…
  • …determine entitlement at the regular hearing and to hold a later hearing or submit affidavits to prove amounts. Appellant failed to claim prejudice at the hearing below and has demonstrated no prejudice in his brief on appeal. Farm Stores v. Dyrda, 384 So. 2d 269 (Fla. 1st DCA 1980). Section 440.34(2)(b) in pertinent part provides: “Any determination of bad faith shall be made by the deputy commissioner through a separate fact-finding proceeding.” We do not read this language as requiring the deputy commiss…
  • Munroe Mem'l Hosp. & All Risk Corp. of Fla. v. Thompson, 388 So. 2d 1338 (Fla. 1st DCA 1980)
    …pay to the claimant temporary total disability and permanent partial disability compensation. This court has recognized that “due process problems arise when the [JIC] undertakes to rule on issues not framed by the parties.” Farm Stores v. Dyrda, 384 So. 2d 269 (Fla. 1st DCA 1980). Here, the claim stated that the injury was a “hurt low back.” Although the Notice of Hearing stated that the subject thereof would be a “determination of claimant’s benefits,” it is clear that this “determination” refers to the…

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