Volusia County Fire Services v. Taaffe

The employer/carrier (E/C), Volusia County Fire Services and County Risk Management, raises one dispositive issue on appeal, whether the Judge of Compensation Claims (JCC) erred by determining Claimant’s hypertension was compensable under the presumption created by section 112.18(1), Florida Statutes (2005). We agree and reverse.

Claimant entered into service as a firefighter in July 1992 with the Cedar Hammock Fire Department. In February 2004, while still employed with Cedar Hammock Fire Department, Claimant was diagnosed with hypertension. Claimant worked for Cedar Hammock Fire Department…