AWW (Average Weekly Wage) = The number representing the pre-accident earning power of an IW, which is usually based on the actual gross wages and fringe benefits received by the IW during the 13 calendar weeks prior to the date of accident

DOAH (Division Of Administrative Hearings) = A governmental agency of the State of Florida, which oversees the OJCC -- DOAH is part of the executive branch, not the judiciary

DWC-25 = A two-page form published by the Division of Workers' Compensation that doctors are required to complete after each medical evaluation to advise the IW and the E/C of the patient's updated work status, referrals to specialists, and assignment of MMI/PIR

E/C (Employer/Carrier) = The collective reference for the IW's employer and its workers' compensation insurance carrier

EMA (Expert Medical Advisor) = A medical specialist appointed as an expert witness by the JCC to resolve a conflict of opinions between other medical providers (usually IMEs)

HNP (herniated nucleus pulposus) = A slipped disk along the spinal cord -- HNPs occur when all or part of the soft center of a spinal disk is forced through a weakened part of the disk

IIB (income impairment benefits) = The class of wage-loss benefits paid to an injured worker upon reaching MMI -- IIBs are paid according to a statutory schedule that is based on the injured worker's PIR -- These are sometimes referred to as PPDs, or permanent partial disability benefits

IME (independent medical examination) = A medical specialist used as an expert witness to help resolve a dispute in existing medical opinions -- Each party to a workers' compensation claim is entitled to one IME per accident -- Conflicts between IMEs can be resolved by an EMA

IW (injured worker) -- This abbreviation is used mostly by adjusters. Once a PFB has been filed, injured workers are almost always referred to as "claimants," because, at that point, the injured worker has filed a claim.

JCC (Judge of Compensation Claims) = The administrative judge assigned by the OJCC to rule on all claims for benefits in a workers' compensation claim

L/S (lumbar spine)

MCC (Managed Care Coordinator) = The doctor assigned under a WCMCA as the IW's PCP

MCC (major contributing cause) = A legal standard employed to determine whether the medical benefit claimed -- For dates of accident after 10/1/03, MCC is defined as that cause which is more than 50 percent of the current need for treatment when compared with all other causes combined

MMI (maximum medical improvement) = The date after which it is no longer reasonably foreseeable that the injured worker is likely to improve medically -- Upon reaching MMI, the IW's doctor is required to assign a PIR - The IW's temporary benefits then convert to permanent benefits, and the EC is required to pay either IIBs or PTD benefits

OJCC (Office of Judges of Compensation Claims) = The Florida administrative agency that oversees workers' compensation claims

PCP (primary care provider) = A doctor who serves as a "gatekeeper" to other medical services and providers, including specialists

PFB (Petition For Benefits) = The formal document filed with DOAH to initiate litigation over a claim for benefits -- PFBs are considered pleadings and are the workers' comp equivalent of a court "complaint" or lawsuit, except that more than one can be filed in any given case

PIR (Permanent Impairment Rating) = The numerical rating assigned (as a percentage, from zero upwards) by a doctor to estimate the amount of residual damage an IW has suffered as a result of the work accident -- IIBs are calculated using the PIR and the AWW

PTD (permanent total disability) = The class of wage-loss benefits an IW is eligible for when medical evidence supports the conclusion that the IW will not be able to return to work permanently

P/T (physical therapy)

RTW (return to work) = An indication that the IW is medically able to return to work after having been on TTD status -- Work status is usually described as being Full Duty (i.e., no restrictions), Medium Duty (minor restrictions), Light Duty (moderate restrictions), and Sedentary Duty (severe restrictions; usually no lifting allowed)

TPD (temporary partial disability benefits) = The class of wage-loss benefits an IW is eligible for when he or she has been released by a doctor to return to work is not yet at MMI -- TPDs are usually paid at 64% of the IW's AWW but can be reduced based on actual wages earned, etc.

TT/TP = The collective abbreviation for "temporary total and/or temporary partial disability benefits" -- These benefits stop after the IW reaches MMI or after 104 weeks of TT/TP have been exhausted, which ever comes first

TTD (temporary total disability benefits) = The class of wage-loss benefits an IW is eligible for when a doctor places him or her on No Work status as a result of a compensable work injury or condition -- TTDs are usually paid at 66-2/3% of the AWW