Death & Permanent Total Disability Trust Fund v. Hempstead County

This case involves the interpretation of Ark. Stat. Ann. § 81-1310(c)(2) (Repl. 1976), which reads as follows:

The first Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) of weekly benefits for death or permanent total disability shall be paid by the employer or his insurance carrier in the manner provided in this Act. [§§ 81-1301 — 81-1349]. An employee or dependent of an employee who receives a total of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) in weekly benefits shall be eligible to continue to draw benefits at the rates prescribed in this Act but all such benefits in excess of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) shall…