How the system works

[Elvin Bates]

I am a resident of Texas, my "on duty" injury occurred July 09.
I am a firefighter; I passed out while at a fire scene and after
having fought a fire. Once at the hospital, it was determined
that I had three clogged arteries and since the blockage was
in branches, open heart surgery was my only option.
I was on "no duty" for 6months; my cardiologist put me on
restricted duty Jan. 2010. I will return to see my cardiologist
in December, at which time my "year" will be up and I will either
reach MMI and be returned to active duty, or she may suggest
that I cannot return to my firefighting activity and I will have to
retire.
My question, is my Impairment Rating based upon my returning
to active duty or not returning to active duty, or is it only based
upon my initial injury? Also, what does a cardiac problem merit
as far as the Impairment Rating? I just don't know how this
works. If I stay and return to actice duty, can I expect a
decent Impairment Rating?
I would appreciate any help with this, as the people around me
just don't know what to tell me.
If my Impairmentes Rating is low, can I contest it and how?

[jayne]

can clogged arteries be blamed on an WC injury? I am doubtfull but am surprized everyday.....maybe 1171 or Kate will tell us.... are they allowing you to claim this as a WC injury? are you getting TTD checks

[1171]

impairment is not affected by your employment status.
impairment is an assessment of the body's ability or inability to perform certain functions.
Impairment ratings are not fixed for different parts of the body.
you should discuss impairment with your physician.
you will have to have medical evidence that your rating was done incorrectly and not whether you think it is "low".
more information here
http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/wc/indexwc.html

[Elvin Bates]

Thank you for your response. Yes, due to fact that I blacked out
at an active fire scene after fighting a fire, the lady that investigated the incident said it was an on duty injury.
I do not know what TTD stands for. I never had a break in my fire
salary.

jayne Wrote:can clogged arteries be blamed on an WC injury? I am doubtfull but am surprized everyday.....maybe 1171 or Kate will tell us.... are they allowing you to claim this as a WC injury? are you getting TTD checks

[Elvin Bates]

Thank you for your imput. I will go to the link that you sent me.

1171 Wrote:impairment is not affected by your employment status.
impairment is an assessment of the bodies ability or inability to perform certain functions.
Impairment ratings are not fixed for different parts of the body.
you should discuss impairment with your physician.
you will have to have medical evidence that your rating was done incorrectly and not whether you think it is "low".
more information here
http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/wc/indexwc.html

[Manley2]

TTD stands for Temp Total Disability. That is what they pay you when they say you can't work. If they have just been paying your salary while you are off then they don't pay TTD. TTD is normally only 66% of your normal pay but it is not taxable and they don't hold out anything else on it.

[Elvin Bates]

Thanks for sharing. I have not had any issues with Workmans
Comp. up to this time but all the criticisms I'm reading about
are making me cautious.
I really wanted to understand the Impairment Rating and mostly
how it worked. I'm just wondering when I reach MMI and this is all over, if I will receive any settlement at all, even if I return to work.

Manley2 Wrote:TTD stands for Temp Total Disability. That is what they pay you when they say you can't work. If they have just been paying your salary while you are off then they don't pay TTD. TTD is normally only 66% of your normal pay but it is not taxable and they don't hold out anything else on it.

[Manley2]

settlements depend allot on how well you are in the end. If you fully recover there is no settlement