Satellite Workers’ Comp Office to Close in Arkansas

The Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission has decided to close its Fort Smith satellite office as a cost-cutting measure.

The commission says it was debating whether to close offices in Springdale or Fort Smith. Commission CEO Alan McClain wrote in a letter Tuesday that officials determined the Fort Smith office should close on or before July 1, 2014.

McClain says the commission will operate “more efficiently and economically” with only one satellite office in the region.

Commission chairman A. Watson Bell tells the Southwest Times Record that affected employees in Fort Smith will have the option to move to another office.

The commission is responsible for the administration of workers’ compensation laws in the state.