Workers' compensation is meant to protect employees who might get injured while on the job. However, when it comes down to it, there are certain injuries that are harder to get benefits for. One of them is carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), which is a type of repetitive motion injury that can occur as a result of performing the same task over and over again. Here is more information about this condition and whether or not you can get workers' compensation benefits for this type of injury.

What is CTS?

CTS is one of many injuries you can get if you are using your hands, fingers and arms in the same manner over and over again. It is not uncommon for a grocery store clerk bagging groceries, data entry clerk typing all day, or a cashier using the register eight hours a day to get carpal tunnel syndrome. With this condition, the median nerve and tendons traveling from your fingers to your wrist are compressed. This can cause weakness, numbness, and pain in your wrist and hand. Over time, it may keep you from being able to perform your job effectively, and could require surgery in the more severe cases.

Does workers' compensation insurance cover carpal tunnel syndrome?

Simply put, workers' compensation should cover this condition, since the policy covers repetitive motion injuries as a whole. The difficulty in this type of case is that you can get carpal tunnel syndrome from other jobs or tasks performed outside of work as well, so it can be hard proving you received the injury at work. You will need to be able to prove that the condition developed at your place of employment and show exactly how the type of work you do caused the injury.

If your work has a program where they do group stretches or offer employees ergonomic equipment to reduce injuries, and you refused them, you might not win your case since your place of employment attempted to prevent your injury.

How do you file a claim for this condition?

If you have carpal tunnel syndrome and you received it from work, the first thing to do is let your supervisor know. They will assess the situation and send you to a doctor that has been approved by the workers' compensation insurance company. This doctor will perform a physical exam and ask how long you have been experiencing symptoms. Keep all documentation from these doctor's visits, including any medications prescribed to you, paperwork showing your diagnosis, and any co-pays or deductibles you had. The initial doctor visits should be covered by workers' compensation, so hopefully there were no co-pays to pay.

Once you have visited the doctor, hire an attorney, such as John J Bublewicz Attorney At Law. Since this can be a difficult case, it is best to have legal help when filing the claim. The lawyer will need to know the details of your job, how long you have had the injury, and how it is affecting you. Be honest and upfront with your lawyer, as that will help with the success of your claim.

Share