Wrist Injury Workers' Comp Settlement Calculator

Most wrist workers' comp settlements fall between $25,000 and $100,000, with surgical cases and permanent restrictions at the higher end. Wrist injuries are usually rated against the hand schedule (244 weeks in most states) or the arm schedule (312 weeks) when the impairment extends above the wrist joint. A 15% hand impairment at a $750 weekly rate is 36.6 weeks, or about $27,450 in face value. A 30% rating at the same rate is roughly $54,900. Carriers settle straightforward wrist claims at 75 to 90% of face value, and represented claimants generally recover more than unrepresented ones for the same rating.

It depends on where the permanent impairment is located. Fractures, ligament tears, and carpal tunnel released at the wrist are normally converted to a percentage loss of the hand. When the injury causes loss of forearm rotation, elbow-level weakness, or a fusion that limits the whole upper extremity, most states convert the rating to the arm, which carries more scheduled weeks and therefore a larger payout. Ask your treating physician which level the rating is assigned to, because moving a rating from hand to arm can raise the benefit value substantially at the same percentage.

Scaphoid fractures typically settle between $30,000 and $90,000 when surgery, hardware, or a nonunion is involved. The scaphoid has a poor blood supply, so nonunion and avascular necrosis are common complications that extend disability and raise the impairment rating. A screw fixation that heals cleanly may produce a 5 to 10% hand rating. A nonunion requiring bone grafting, or a salvage procedure such as a partial wrist fusion, commonly produces 20 to 40% hand impairment plus permanent lifting and gripping restrictions.

Single-hand carpal tunnel release claims commonly settle between $20,000 and $55,000, and bilateral releases between $35,000 and $90,000. The value is driven by temporary total disability for the 6 to 12 week recovery per hand, the residual impairment rating for grip strength and sensory loss, and future medical exposure if symptoms recur. Carpal tunnel is compensable as an occupational disease in nearly every state when repetitive work duties caused it. See the carpal tunnel surgery settlement guide for procedure-specific numbers.

Wrist fusion (arthrodesis) is among the highest-value wrist claims, commonly settling between $70,000 and $200,000. A total wrist fusion eliminates flexion and extension permanently, which frequently produces impairment ratings of 30 to 50% of the hand or is converted to an arm rating. Because a fused wrist blocks return to most manual trades, these claims often include a loss-of-earning-capacity or vocational component on top of the scheduled award, and future medical for hardware removal or adjacent-joint arthritis.

Yes. Cumulative trauma wrist conditions are compensable as occupational diseases in most states. Carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, De Quervain's tenosynovitis, trigger wrist, and ulnar-sided wrist pain from repetitive gripping or vibrating tools are all recognized gradual-onset claims. Filing deadlines for occupational disease usually start when you knew or should have known the condition was work-related, not when symptoms first appeared. Report it to your employer as soon as a physician connects your symptoms to your job duties.

Permanent restrictions that raise settlement value include lifting limits below 20 pounds, no repetitive gripping or torquing, no vibrating tool use, no keyboard work beyond set intervals, and no overhead or ladder work requiring a firm grip. These restrictions matter because they determine whether you can return to your pre-injury job. If your trade requires full grip and wrist motion and you cannot return to it, many states add a wage-loss or loss-of-earning-capacity award on top of the scheduled impairment payment.

Wrist claims turn on two disputes that consistently cost unrepresented workers money: whether the impairment is rated to the hand or the arm, and whether grip strength loss, sensory deficits, and range-of-motion loss are all captured in the rating rather than just the bone healing. Carriers also frequently dispute occupational causation on cumulative trauma wrist claims. If your wrist injury involved a machine, a power tool, or defective equipment, a third-party claim may exist alongside the comp claim with no fee cap. A free consultation costs nothing and clarifies both.