The Supreme Court of Connecticut reinstated a workers compensation award for a retiree whose permanent partial disability benefits were changed to permanent total disability benefits after he retired. The case is Cochran v. DOT, 2024 Conn. LEXIS 318 (Conn. 2024).

What Happened

Stephen Cochran was hired by the Department of Transportation (DOT) in 1967. He suffered a work-related spinal injury in 1994 while moving a semi-truck tire over a highway barrier. Cochran promptly reported his injury, which required multiple surgeries and lengthy pain management. The next year, the DOT awarded Cochran 29.5 percent permanent partial disability. Cochran stayed with DOT for another 10 years after his injury before “accept[ing] an incentivized early retirement benefits package.” He never intended to rejoin the workforce.