ultimate issue as to the percentage of loss of earning power suffered by the claimant.28 The hearing officer decides both law and fact questions and is often required to produce written findings of fact. Thus the hearing officer determines whether an injury has occurred, its extent, and its compensability. Compensation can be for permanent total disability (paid out for the worker’s life or for some large number of weeks, such as 500); permanent partial disability (often paid out as a percentage of total impairment); or temporary total or temporary partial disability (paid weekly for the
...more
