ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 9, 1996 TAG: 9603110092
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
A Senate committee Friday rejected a bill that would let people with carpal tunnel syndrome and hearing loss draw workers compensation.
The committee rejected a similar bill earlier this session. The measure was submitted again as emergency legislation this week after the Virginia Supreme Court ruled March 1 that the state's workers compensation law does not cover ``cumulative trauma'' injuries.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is characterized by pain or numbness in the hands, wrists and arms and is caused by repetitive motion. The appeals court overturned compensation awards to a copy editor and poultry plant workers.
``It's a sad day for Virginia's working men and women, regardless of where they come from,'' Daniel LeBlanc, president of the Virginia State AFL-CIO, said after the Commerce and Labor Committee rejected the bill on an 8-7 vote.
It carried over the measure until next year for further study.
William H. Coiner, president of the Virginia Retail Merchants Association, said in many cases a job only aggravates a worker's existing problem. Insurance representatives said workers who blame employers for their condition should seek remedies through the courts.
The House of Delegates passed the bill 85-7 Thursday.
The General Assembly last year passed a bill to make it clear that carpal tunnel syndrome patients can collect workers compensation, but Gov. George Allen vetoed it. Allen cited the potential increase in employers' costs.
House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell, the bill's sponsor, told the Senate committee Friday that a worker would have to prove the injuries happened on the job. He said businesses can prevent repetitive motion injuries by installing ergonomic wrist rests on keyboards, for example.
The legislation could save businesses from large jury awards if carpal tunnel cases go to court, said Cranwell, D-Roanoke County.
A plaintiff who would have received about $15,000 through workers compensation recently was awarded $200,000 by a Roanoke jury, he said.
Workers compensation pays medical expenses and replaces a portion of the lost income when an employee is hurt on the job or contracts a work-related disease. If claims go to court instead, juries also can award damages for pain and suffering, LeBlanc said.
Last year, 566 Virginians filed workers compensation claims for carpal tunnel syndrome. Compensation was awarded in 277 of those cases, according to the Workers Compensation Commission.
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1996by CNB