References to Medical Boards and appeals to Medical Appeal Tribunals and Employees' Insurance Courts.
54A. (1) The case of any insured person for permanent disablement benefit shall be referred by the Corporation to a medical board for determination of the disablement question and if, on that or any subsequent reference, the extent of loss of earning capacity of the insured person is provisionally assessed, it shall again be so referred to the medical board not later than the end of the period taken into account by the provisional assessment.
(2) If the insured person or the Corporation is not satisfied with the decision of the medical board, the insured person or the Corporation may appeal in the prescribed manner and within the prescribed time to--
(i) the medical appeal tribunal constituted in accordance with the provisions of the regulations with a further right of appeal in the prescribed manner and within the prescribed time to the Employees' Insurance Court, or
(ii) the Employees' Insurance Court directly :
PROVIDED that no appeal by an insured person shall lie under this sub-section if such person has applied for commutation of disablement benefit on the basis of the decision of the medical board and received the commuted value of such benefit :
PROVIDED FURTHER that no appeal by the Corporation shall lie under this sub-section if the Corporation paid the commuted value of the disablement benefit on the basis of the decision of the medical board.
COMMENTS
In the case of an injury which is not covered by any part of the schedule loss of earning capacity is to be decided on evidence and the opinion which the Medical Board gives in this regard would be final and binding between the parties. Tribunal in such cases has to pass an award that is in conformity with the decision of the Medical Board.-- ESI Corporation v. Hari Hajra 1989 (1) LLN 665. |