Labor Department seeks input on updating hearing loss testing standards for maritime workers
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Table of Contents
The Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs is asking for feedback on how to update the rules for proving hearing loss under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. Currently, claims rely heavily on traditional audiograms, which require the patient to respond to sounds. The agency wants to know if new objective tests should be allowed as evidence.
Why it matters: This matters because the current regulations were written before many of these objective testing technologies existed. Updating them could make it easier to accurately determine disability levels for maritime workers suffering from noise-induced hearing loss. It also addresses long-standing issues with verifying claims where patient cooperation during a standard test is questionable.
Who it affects
- Maritime and harbor workers seeking compensation for occupational hearing loss
This is a proposed rule from the Labor Department’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs published in the Federal Register; readers should check the original document for specific comment deadlines and technical details.
Agency: Labor Department, Workers’ Compensation Programs Office
Source: Federal Register — read the official document