A claimant who was a telecom installer suffered a work place injury in 2008 to his neck and left shoulder. He retained FOA in 2016 after noticing that his right shoulder and both hands were hurting him. He continued to work until he retired in 2018. The claimant believed that the right shoulder and bilateral hand pain were a consequence of his original accident and that his retirement was due to the accident. In addition to objecting to the additional sites, the employer argued that the claimant’s retirement was unrelated to the workplace accident. Based upon the medical evidence and testimony of the claimant, the Board determined that the right shoulder and bilateral hand pain were a consequence of the initial injury and included them in the case. The Board also determined that the claimant’s decision to retire early was a result of those injuries. As a result of this decision, the claimant received two years of retroactive benefits and is eligible to receive future weekly compensation benefits.
