State ex rel. Ohio Treatment Alliance v. Paasewe

In State ex rel. Ohio Treatment Alliance v. Paasewe, 99 Ohio St.3d 18, 2003 Ohio 2449, 788 N.E.2d 1035, the court held that a claim for temporary total disability ("TTD") compensation that is close in time to a claimant's job termination will be closely scrutinized. In Paasewe, the claimant, Eric Paasewe, returned to work on July 13, 2000. He worked on July 13, 14 and 15 without any reported medical problems. On July 15, a co-worker discovered Paasewe asleep on the job. Paasewe was fired two days later for the offense. Thereafter, Paasewe claimed that he was temporarily and totally disabled during the period immediately following his job termination. The Paasewe court states: He now claims a new period of disability that conincidentally arose on the date of his discharge. Within the space of a few hours, claimant asserts, his nondisabling condition deteriorated into a disabling one, on a date that coincided with his firing. Id. at P10, 12.