JCC Awards Firefighter TPD and Cardiac Care Under Heart-Lung Presumption

In OJCC Case No. 25-025175NPP, Jason Post, an Osceola County firefighter and paramedic, sought benefits after he developed severe heart failure while on duty. The JCC found his non-ischemic cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure qualified as heart disease under Florida’s firefighter heart-lung presumption and that the employer and servicing agent did not rebut occupational causation with evidence of a specific non-occupational cause.

The second amended final compensation order granted temporary partial disability benefits from September 1, 2025 through January 18, 2026, reclassifying the claimed temporary total disability period because Post had concurrent earnings. It also granted TPD from January 19 through May 12, 2026, with applicable offsets for actual concurrent wages, plus penalties and interest.

The JCC also ordered authorization of a cardiologist or other appropriate physician for continued treatment of the compensable heart disease. A reasonable attorney fee and costs were awarded for securing the benefits, with jurisdiction reserved to determine the amounts if the parties could not agree.

Source: Compensation Order