Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, Vol. 12, No. 1, March 2002 ( C  2002) Job Performance Failure and Occupational Carpal Tunnel Claims Richard J. Butler 1,3 and Hui Liao 2 Using a sample of one job type from one ﬁrm (to hold job tasks and sick leave/disability policy constant), we estimate the effect of demographic variables, job performance warnings, and workers’ compensation beneﬁts on the propensity to ﬁle a carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) loss work-time claim. We ﬁnd that disciplinary notices increase the employees’ propensity to ﬁle a CTS claim. State maximum workers’ compensation beneﬁts are also positively related to CTS claim frequency, however, the relationship is not statistically signiﬁcant. CTS claimants respond differently than other sprain/strain claimants to beneﬁts and to gender. In particularly, women have relatively more CTS claims, while men have relatively more other sprain/strain claims in our sample. The estimates here underscore the importance of psychosocial factors in the ﬁling of occupational CTS and sprain injuries claims. KEY WORDS: occupational carpal tunnel syndrome; job performance warning; disciplinary notice; sprain; strain; workers’ compensation beneﬁts. INTRODUCTION The cost of occupational carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), the median nerve compres- sion associated with upper extremity activity in the work place, is high and increasing in industrialized nations. Total lost work time costs for one CTS case can be exorbitant (1). Hence, more attention is being given to the prevention and treatment of CTS. Studies have recently shifted from a strictly physical assessment of CTS to a broader examination of nonphysical or “psychosocial” correlates of CTS claims and CTS treatment outcomes. The psychosocial factors include psychological and environmental variables associated with family, community, and work. Stutts and Kasdan (2) in their study of 83 patients referred for an independent medical examination of the upper extremity concluded that the disabled support systems inﬂuenced the duration and extent of the syndrome. They found that about half of the patients had at least one disabled family member, arguing that attitudes of family members toward the 1 Department of Economics, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602. 2 Industrial Relations Center, Carlson School of Management, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455. 3 Correspondence should be directed to Richard J. Butler, Department of Economics, 183 FOB, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602; e-mail: richard butler@byu.edu. 1 1053-0487/02/0300-0001/0 C  2002 Plenum Publishing Corporation