GQ Corner
Q. I received a designated doctor’s report that exposes the carrier to a 10% impairment rating. How long do I have until I must initiate the 10% in impairment income benefits?
A. Rule 130.8 states that the carrier must initiate payments within 5 days of receiving the report. Since designated doctors have presumptive weight, the carrier is required to pay those benefits as if the benefits were an order of the DWC.
Q. When calculating the deadline for issuing payment of benefits pursuant to a medical report, is “day 1” of the timeframe the date on which we receive the report or the first day after that date?
A. The first day after that date. Rule 102.3 addresses computation of time and specifically provides that for purposes of computing due dates and time periods under the statute, the “first day” is excluded and the last day is included. In other words, you would consider “day 1” to be the first day after the date of receipt.
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