The claimant sought a catastrophic impairment determination, entitlement to attendant care benefits, and the cost of various assessments. The claimant suffered from chronic pain, had not worked in the 10 years since the accident, and had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Pain prevented the claimant’s participation in home-based activities, and she rarely left the house. Adjudicator Parish found that the claimant suffered a Class 4 marked impairment in activities of daily living (no other spheres of function were found to be Class 4). In terms of the WPI, Adjudicator Parish would have assigned 40 percent for the psychological impairment and 7 percent for physical impairment, meaning that the claimant did not have a 55 percent WPI. Adjudicator Parish awarded retroactive ACBs of $507.03 per month for assistance with meal preparation. She rejected the claims for grooming (the claimant was capable of independent hair care), bathroom cleaning (which was found to be housekeeping, not attendant care); and basic supervisory care (the Form 1 category was for emergency assistance, but the claimant did not lack the capacity to respond to an emergency; emotional care was not an appropriate attendant care service). Adjudicator Parish also awarded the cost of an OT situational assessment related to the catastrophic impairment application. She also awarded the cost of the in-home assessment to complete the Form 1. Adjudicator Parish also held that the claimant was not required to meet the strict “incurred” definition for payment of ACBs, because the accident occurred in 2009. Interest was awarded on ACBs, but only from the date the Form 1s were submitted.
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