CLAIMANT’S MATTER WAS FULLY CLOSED AND WAS PROPERLY TRANSFERRED TO THE SPECIAL FUND FOR REOPENED CASES, DESPITE CONTINUING PAYMENTS FOR MEDICAL CARE AND TREATMENT (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department determined claimant’s matter had been fully closed and was properly transferred to the Special Fund for Reopened Cases, despite continuing payments for medical care and treatment:

There is no dispute that the statutory time periods set forth in Workers’ Compensation Law § 25-a were satisfied; claimant was injured in September 2005 and the last payment of compensation was made in October 2006. Accordingly, the sole issue is whether the Board’s finding of a true closure in this matter is supported by substantial evidence. In this regard, “compensation” is defined as “the money allowance payable to an employee or to his [or her] dependents”… . As this Court previously has held, such allowance “does not include payments for medical treatment or care” …  Further, “the payment for continuing medical care does not bar the transfer of liability under Workers’ Compensation Law § 25-a”… , and neither the potential liability for future treatment nor the possibility that claimant’s condition could deteriorate — resulting in the subsequent reopening of the case — “mean[s] that the matter was not fully closed” … . Matter of Guillen v Tulley Constr., 2019 NY Slip Op 00945, Third Dept 2-7-19