Opinion No. 33-567
March 28, 1933
TO: Mr. W. R. Eccles, State Highway Engineer, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Attn: Mr. Dee H. Donnell.
{*32} This is in reply to your letter of March 25, 1933 regarding an interpretation of Section 156-117 of the 1929 Code with reference to Workmen's Compensation.
This section provides compensation for total disability and also for partial disability which is permanent in character. While the Statute is not clear upon the question asked by you it would appear to me that a reasonable interpretation would require in a case for example, where a man {*33} loses his right arm at or near the shoulder that he should be paid under paragraph (a) during the period he is totally disabled, and for a period of 150 weeks thereafter, since his partial disability continues after total disability has ended.
Section 156-118 leaves no doubt in my mind that this interpretation is correct, since it provides specifically that compensation for all classes of injuries shall run consecutively.