Court Opinion

ID: 9718148
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 07:17:47.442765+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:57.618675
License: Public Domain

John MAUZY PITTMAN, Judge, dissenting. I dissent because I believe that the Commission made an error of fact when it stated in its opinion that electromagnetic tests conducted by Dr. Miles indicate “that the claimant is suffering from some type of problem relating to nerve impingement.” Having studied Dr. Miles’s conclusions with medical dictionary in hand, all I see is an indication that the claimant is suffering from a degenerative neurological condition involving the extremities. And, although we defer to the Commission’s experience and knowledge when employed to make a finding based on the evidence before it, the Commission’s expertise is not evidence and cannot be substituted for evidence. Lunsford v. Rich Mountain Electric Coop., 38 Ark. App. 188, 832 S.W.2d 291 (1992). Reversal and remand are required where the Commission makes a mistake of fact in its opinion, and where that error involves relevant medical evidence that the Commission expressly relied on in reaching its decision. Holloway v. Ray White Lumber Company, 337 Ark. 524, 990 S.W.2d 526 (1999). In the present case, the error was relevant to the question of whether the requested medical benefits were necessary for the treatment of a work-related back injury, and involves evidence the Commission expressly relied upon in making its decision. I believe this case should therefore be reversed and remanded, and I respectfully dissent.