Permanent Impairment Benefits Denied for Worker With Knee Injury

A divided West Virginia Supreme Court ruled that a worker was not entitled to an award of permanent partial disability benefits, since two of the three doctors who evaluated him found no evidence of permanent impairment. Case: Hicks v. Alpha Contracting, No. 17-0159, 10/10/2017, published. Facts: Travis Hicks slipped and injured his left knee in July 2011 while working for Alpha Contracting. He secured an award of workers’ compensation benefits for a left knee strain. In May 2015, Hicks underwent an independent medical evaluation by Dr. Prasadarao Mukkamala. The doctor opined that Hic...