What is the average workers’ compensation settlement in a carpal tunnel case?

The average workers’ comp settlement in carpal tunnel cases can range between $30,000 to $70,000. There are cases, though, where the settlement award can be much greater. Carpal tunnel is also referred to as carpel tunnel syndrome (“CTS”).

Note that no two carpal tunnel workers’ compensation claims are exactly alike. This means that settlement amounts for these injuries will vary depending on such factors as:

• an injured worker’s pre-injury average weekly wage,
• whether the worker suffered an additional workplace injury, and
• the medical evidence supporting the worker’s compensation claim.

In general, a workers’ comp settlement is an agreement between the injured worker and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Worker’s Compensation (if the worker is employed by the federal government), that outlines his/her benefits.

Workers injured on the job while employed by private companies or state and local government agencies will enter into a settlement with their state’s workers’ compensation board.

Workers’ compensation benefits may include:

• lost wages (given as a form of temporary disability benefit)
• medical benefits (including payment for medical treatment, medical expenses, or medical bills), and
• permanent disability benefits (including permanent total disability benefits and permanent partial disability benefits).

In California, an injured worker can settle his or her workers’ comp claim with the state’s Department of Industrial Relations. This settlement may involve the worker:

1. agreeing to have the insurance company provide future medical care for the injury for life, or
2. taking the cash value of any future medical care.

It is critical for any worker to consult with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer, or law firm, prior to entering into a settlement for a work-related injury.

How much can a workers’ compensation case involving a carpal tunnel injury settle for?

The exact worth of a workers comp claim that involves CTS will depend on:

• the facts of the case, and
• the degree or intensity of the personal injury.

With that said, though, an average settlement for these types of workers comp claims, or injury claims, can range from $30,000 to $70,000.

But note that no two carpal tunnel claims will be exactly alike. This means settlement figures will vary depending on such factors as:

• a worker’s pre-injury average weekly pay rate,
• whether the worker suffered an additional workplace injury,
• the medical evidence supporting the worker’s compensation claim,
• the pain of the injury,
• the period of time for recovery,
• whether the injury required physical therapy,
• the injured party’s age,
• the injured party’s occupation, and
• the length of time the injured worker was with his/her employer.

In order to secure a settlement, a worker will have to prove that his/her work was the primary cause of the injury.

What is a workers’ compensation settlement?

A settlement is an agreement on the benefits available to the injured worker. The agreement is between the injured laborer and the applicable workers ‘compensation insurance company.

If a claimant was a federal employee, then he/she will file a claim with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers Compensation.¹

If a claimant was employed by a private company or a state or local government agency, then the laborer will file a claim with his or her state’s workers’ compensation board.

What does a workers’ comp settlement look like in California?

A non-federally employed Californian will file a workers’ compensation claim with California’s Department of Industrial Relations.²

An injured worker can settle his or her claim for California workers’ compensation benefits case by:

1. agreeing to have the insurance company provide future medical care for the injury for life, or
2. taking the cash value of any future medical care.

A settlement may also involve the following benefits:

• medical care,
• temporary disability,
• permanent disability, and
• job displacement benefits.

Medical care includes medical treatment for the work injury.³
However, an injured worker must be treated by a doctor in a special network, called a Medical Provider Network (MPN).⁴

Temporary disability benefits are payments for lost wages due to a work injury, replacing what the employee would have earned if he or she was not injured.⁵

Permanent disability benefits pay an injured worker for loss of future earning capacity due to the permanent effects of the work injury.⁶

Job displacement benefits are payments for job retraining. Injured workers that are not able to return to work are eligible for a $6,000 supplemental job displacement voucher.⁷

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

CTS involves numbness and tingling in the hand and arm that is caused by a pinched nerve in the wrist. The particular nerve is the median nerve.⁸

Symptoms of carpal tunnel include:

• numbness and tingling in the hand, wrist, and index finger,
• paresthesia,
• weakness in the hand or wrist,
• the injured person dropping objects,
• loss of feeling in one’s hand, wrist, or fingers, and
• possible pain that radiates up to the shoulder (almost resembling a shoulder injury).⁹

What are the common causes and who is at risk?

The main cause of carpal tunnel is repetitive motion in the hand and wrist that causes pressure on a person’s median nerve.¹⁰

Examples of repetitive movements causing the condition include:

• typing,
• using hand tools, and
• picking up objects.

Workers who are at the greatest risk of developing CTS include:

• truckers,
• construction workers,
• administrative workers that frequently type or enter data,
• butchers and florists, and
• sewers and textile workers.

Please know that workers considering settling a workers’ comp case for carpal tunnel must seek legal advice from:

• personal injury attorneys, or
• workers’ compensation attorneys.

For more discussion, see our page on Does surgery increase a workers’ compensation settlement? and Settlement values for nerve injury to the hands.

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Legal References:

1. See U.S. Department of Labor website, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP).
2. See California’s Department of Industrial Relations website, Division of Workers’ Compensation.
3. California Labor Code 4600 LC.
4. California Labor Code 4616a1.
5. Signature Fruit Co. v. Workers’ Comp. Appeals Bd. (2006) 142 Cal. App. 4th 790.
6. See same.  See also Russell v. Bankers Life Co. (1975) 46 Cal. App. 3d 405.
7. California Labor Code 4658.7d LC.
8. See Mayo Clinic website, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
9. See same.
10. See same.