JCC Denies TPD and Lumbar Treatment After Miami-Dade Bus Injury

In Roger Quintana v. Miami-Dade County/Miami Dade County Risk Management, OJCC Case No. 24-022814SMS, the claimant sought TPD benefits from February 10, 2026 through May 13, 2026, along with evaluation and treatment for the lumbar spine and compensability and treatment of left leg and knee conditions after a June 25, 2024 bus-operator injury.

Judge Sylvia Medina-Shore denied the TPD claim because the medical evidence did not establish that the claimant remained short of overall MMI during the claimed period. The order credited the authorized physicians who had placed him at MMI before February 10, 2026, and noted that Dr. Gran deferred to those earlier treaters on MMI before his May 14, 2026 evaluation.

The JCC also denied the lumbar and left leg/knee claims. Dr. Amar testified that ongoing lumbar complaints related to preexisting degenerative disc disease and that no further lumbar care was medically necessary because of the work accident. For the left leg and knee, the order found section 440.20(4) inapplicable because those body parts had not been authorized for evaluation, and the claimant presented no medical evidence tying the complaints or later at-home fall to the industrial injury.

Source: Compensation Order