Data / Federal rules / 2026-12644

Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act: Quality Standards for Hearing Loss Testing

The Workers' Compensation Programs Office published this proposed rule in the Federal Register on June 23, 2026. Comments closed on October 22, 2026.

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What the agency says

The Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA) provides compensation to employees for disability or death from injury arising out of and in the course of employment. Hearing loss claims constitute a significant portion of LHWCA claims, and determining the extent of hearing loss necessarily entails evaluating medical test results. The program statutes and regulations currently reference audiograms as the primary testing method and incorporate the American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment for measuring and calculating hearing impairment. The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) is considering updating the quality standards for hearing loss testing to better reflect current medical technology and practice, particularly the potential use of objective testing methods. This request for information seeks the public's input on the comparative reliability and validity of audiograms versus objective tests such as Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR), Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR), and Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) and others; current standards for administering these tests; and criteria used to evaluate hearing impairment.

Key facts

Document number

2026-12644

Type

Proposed rule

Action

Request for information

Agency

Labor Department; Workers' Compensation Programs Office

Published

June 23, 2026

Comments due

October 22, 2026

Dates

The Department invites written comments on the request for information from interested parties. Written comments must be received by October 22, 2026.

Regulation ID (RIN)

1240-AA20

Code of Federal Regulations

20 CFR 702

Pages

3

The document on federalregister.gov PDF

Other documents from the Workers' Compensation Programs Office

Everything from the Workers' Compensation Programs Office · Published in June 2026

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