Ajinomoto must pay disability benefits for work-caused hand injuries

She saw a doctor, was cleared, and returned to the line. Her last day was September 30, 2019. The next day she left a voicemail with HR saying she could not come in because of arthritis. The HR coordinator asked for a doctor’s note. She never called again, and under the company’s “no call, no show” policy she was treated as having voluntarily resigned. 

Weeks later a physician diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands and operated on her right. In December 2019 she filed a workplace-injury claim. Over the next few years, her treating doctor also found carpal tunnel in her left hand and arthritis in both, and performed a second surgery. 

Both sides’ doctors agreed the carpal tunnel came from her work. Her treating physician assigned an 8% impairment to each hand and barred repetitive use and lifting over ten pounds. The employer’s expert imposed lighter restrictions and released her left arm to full duty. A vocational expert lined up 34 light-duty job leads within 35 miles of her home. 

The Workers’ Compensation Commission found a total occupational loss of use in both hands, plus work-related osteoarthritis, and awarded permanent total disability benefits. 

Ajinomoto and its insurer appealed. They argued she never ran a serious job search – 66 applications drew a single callback – so she should not get the presumption of total disability. They also said the arthritis was unrelated to her job.