A gradual injury can still be covered
Workers’ comp is not only for one-time accidents. New York recognizes injuries that build up over time from the demands of the job, and carpal tunnel syndrome is a classic example – nerve compression in the wrist linked to repetitive hand and wrist motion, forceful gripping, or vibration at work.
The absence of a dramatic accident does not bar the claim. What matters is whether the work activities, over time, caused or significantly contributed to the condition.
What you have to show
Cumulative-trauma claims turn on medical evidence connecting your condition to your job duties. A provider’s opinion that your work tasks caused the carpal tunnel – ideally describing the specific repetitive activities – is central. Testing such as a nerve conduction study often supports the diagnosis.
Because there is no single accident date, the claim is usually tied to a date of disablement – broadly, when the condition became disabling or you knew it was work-related. That date affects your deadlines.
Reporting and filing
Report the condition to your employer once you connect it to your work, and file your claim with the Board. For gradual injuries, the notice and filing clocks generally run from when you knew, or should have known, the condition was job-related rather than from years earlier.
Keep a record of your job duties and your symptoms over time. Carriers frequently dispute causation in repetitive-stress claims, so the link between the work and the injury is where these cases are won or lost.