Autoridad de Energia Electrica v. Union de Empleados Profesionales Independientes

**What Happened** This case involved a dispute between Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority and a union representing professional employees. An employee had been receiving work accident leave benefits after being injured on the job. The employer's doctor examined the worker and determined he was healthy enough to return to work. Based on this medical evaluation, the company stopped the worker's accident leave benefits and said any future absences would count as regular sick leave instead of work injury leave. **What the Court Decided** The court sided with the employer. It ruled that the Electric Power Authority acted properly when it ended the employee's work accident benefits after its physician cleared him to return to work. The court also agreed that the company could charge the worker's continued absences against his regular sick leave rather than treating them as work-related injury leave. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling shows that employers can rely on their own doctors' assessments to determine when injured workers are ready to return to work. Once an employer's physician clears a worker, the company can stop work injury benefits and treat future absences as regular sick time. Workers should be aware that employer medical evaluations carry significant weight in these decisions.