Sherrie Fowler, Worker-Petitioner v. Vista Care and American Home Insurance Company, Employer/insurer-Respondents

Summary

The New Mexico Supreme Court held that temporary total disability (TTD) benefits under the Workers’ Compensation Act are payable for the remainder of a worker’s life and are not subject to the 700‑week limit applied to partial disability benefits, and rejected the Workers’ Compensation Administration’s alleged longstanding interpretation that imposed such a limit. The Court also declined to defer to the agency’s interpretation because no evidence of a longstanding gloss existed.