Court Upholds Award of Wage-Loss Disability Benefits

The Arkansas Court of Appeals upheld a finding that a worker was entitled to 50% wage-loss disability benefits. Case: Arkansas Department of Transportation v. Payne, No. G307065, 05/07/2025, published. Facts: Russell Payne worked for the Arkansas Department of Transportation. He injured his cervical spine at work in May 2013. Dr. Joseph Queeney performed a fusion and discectomy at C5-6 and C6-7 in September 2013. Queeney released Payne to return to work with restrictions in October 2013. In June 2017, Larry Armstrong performed surgery at the C3-4 and C4-5 levels. Knox opined that the surge...