The Third Department determined that an employer who paid the claimant during the disability period was entitled to reimbursement from the award for the entire time beginning when the accident occurred, despite the fact that claimant was not awarded compensation for that entire period:
Claimant does not dispute that the employer paid him wages for the period of his disability prior to the schedule award and that the employer filed a timely claim for reimbursement with the Board as required by Workers’ Compensation Law § 25 (4) (a) … . Claimant challenges the Board’s reimbursement directive upon the ground that the reimbursement here covers a period of time when there were no awards of compensation made, arguing that, as a result, the employer is not entitled to reimbursement of wages paid to claimant during those periods of time and that the amount of reimbursement should be reduced.
However, under settled law, where, as here, a claimant ultimately receives a schedule loss of use award, “an employer has the right to reimbursement for the full amount of wages paid during a claimant’s period of disability from the claimant’s schedule award of worker[s’] compensation benefits” … . * * * Inasmuch as claimant received a schedule award compensating him for the partial loss of use of his right foot, the Board was correct in finding that the employer was entitled to full reimbursement out of that award for all of its advanced payment of wages to claimant during that time (see Workers’ Compensation Law § 25 [4] [a]). The fact that a temporary disability award was denied during part of that period based upon missing medical evidence in the Board’s record is not relevant to the employer’s entitlement to reimbursement. Matter of Newbill v Town of Hempstead, 2017 NY Slip Op 01049, 3rd Dept 2-9-17
WORKER’S COMPENSATION LAW (EMPLOYER ENTITLED TO FULL REIMBURSEMENT OF WAGES PAID TO CLAIMANT SINCE THE ACCIDENT, DESPITE THE FACT THAT CLAIMANT WAS NOT PAID COMPENSATION BENEFITS FOR THE ENTIRE TIME SINCE THE ACCIDENT)