Franklin v. Riviera Beach Fire Rescue

In this workers’ compensation case, Claimant argues that the Judge of Compensation Claims (JCC) erred when he denied Claimant’s claim for upgraded hearing aids. Because the employer/servicing agent (E/SA) agreed to provide the upgraded hearing aids — and only challenged the specific model requested by Claimant — we hold that the JCC abused his discretion, when he denied the claim in its entirety based on insufficient evidence to establish the need for upgraded hearing aids.

The basic facts in this case are not in dispute. Claimant, a former firefighter, suffered a partial loss of hearing in…