U.S. Department of Labor
Employment Standards Administration
Office of Workers' Compensation Programs
Evidence Required in Support of A Claim
for Work-Related Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
If you are claiming that your carpal tunnel or wrist problems are due to your job, use this checklist to identify the specific
All of the following information should be
information needed from you and your employing agency to make a decision on the claim.
submitted with Form CA-2. Please return the checklist with statements attached. Check off each item as it is completed or let us know when we
can expect the information. All material submitted should be legible and specific.
FROM EMPLOYEE
1. Prepare a statement giving the following information:
a. Provide an outline of your work history, including non-
Federal employment and military service. For each job held,
give your job title, agency/company name, and dates (period)
of employment.
b. For each job title, describe duties which required
exertion with or repeated movement of the wrist or hand.
Describe nature and frequency of motions required, and
average number of hours a day/week you did such work.
c. Give date employee entered on duty in job requiring
above duties. Also give the effective date(s) and descrip-
tion(s) of any changes in work assignments due to
employee's condition and indicate whether duty changes
resulted in changes in pay.
c. Describe hobbies, physical fitness or other activities
outside of work which also involved exertion or repeated
motions of wrist/hand. State the nature of each such activity,
years involved in each, and how many hours a week you
engaged in such.
d. If you have ever had an injury to the hand/arm/wrist,
or been diagnosed as having gout, arthritis, hypothyroidism,
diabetes, a tumor, or deformity of the hand/wrist, from/since
birth, describe the injury or condition, and state when injury
occurred or condition was found.
Send us copies of employee's:
2.
a. SF-1 71, Application for Employment;
b. Position description with physical requirements
for last job held;
e. Give a brief chronological history of your hand/wrist
problem. State which hand(s) are affected, when you first
experienced problems, nature of the problems and changes
over time to present, and dates and nature of medical care
obtained.
c. All available medical records, including report of
pre-employment examination;
d. SF-50s or equivalent documents for changes in
assignment/pay due to condition.
2.
Ask all doctors who treated you to send us a copy of re-
ports or notes describing the condition, testing, and treatment
given.
3.
Ask the doctor currently treating your condition to provide a detailed current medical report to include the following specifics:
a. Dates of examinations;
e. Treatment to date and prognosis;
f. Reasoned opinion expIaining any causal relationship
between the condition and your Federal civilian job.
b. Complete medical history of condition;
c. Medical diagnosis of condition;
It is MOST IMPORTANT that the doctor provide opinion as
to the likely nature of the physical effects attributable to
specified duties of your Federal job, and explain the medical
reasoning which supports the opinion as to cause.
d. Findings and test results, specifically including:
results of Phalen's and Tinel's Sign tests: physical
findings concerning sensation over palmar aspect
of first three and one-half digits, and dorsal aspect
of end joints of same digits, and any atrophy of the
Thenar Eminence; results of nerve conduction velocity,
and electromyographic testing;
Form CA-35H
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. D.C. 20402
October 1987
P
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FROM EMPLOYING AGENCY
1. Review the employee's statement, giving the following
information:
a. Comment on the accuracy of the employee's state-
ment describing Federal job duties involving use of hand/
wrist.
b. Provide a day-to-day listing of leave and leave with-
out pay used by the employee due to carpal tunnel/wrist
problems.