Shock! Carpal Tunnel Claims – Not Spine– Most Expensive

“Carpal tunnel injury claims are among the most expensive work injury claims in California with higher than average indemnity and medical payments, ” reports a study by the California Workers’ Compensation Institute. Researchers analyzed California compensation claims beginning with year 2001 and found that though carpal tunnel syndrome accounts for less than 1% of the work-related injuries, it accounts for almost 2.5% of the benefit payments.

“Average claim durations for carpal tunnel claims are much longer than for other types of claims. That is true for medical only, temporary disability and permanent disability claims, according to the authors of the report. They found the average claim duration for all carpal tunnel claims to be nearly 31 months—968 days—from the claim filing date to the case closure date. That is nearly triple the average of 10.8 months—325 days—for all other claims.”

The high cost of carpal tunnel cases is due, in part, because of the time needed for treatment and recuperation from injuries. The study found that only 38% of carpal tunnel claims close within two years of injury, which is barely half the claim closure rate for all workers’ comp claims.

For accident years 2001-2011, more than half the claims resulted in permanent disability—three times the percentage for all claims. Carpal tunnel injury claims have one of the highest permanent disability incidence rates in California.

“Also driving the costs of the claims was attorney involvement. For the years 2001-2010, attorneys were involved in two out of three carpal tunnel indemnity claims compared to just 48% for all claimswhich reflects the high percentage of these claims that result in a permanent disability as well as the complexity of the claims, ” reads the report.

The report noted that, while nearly half of all carpal tunnel claims involve workers in the professional/clerical and mercantile sectors, the hospital sector registered the largest proportional increase after the onset of the recession. Carpal tunnel claims more than doubled from 6.3% during pre-recession period to 13.9% of the 2008-2011 claims.