Guides / Ulnar nerve value
Guide · 5 min read

Ulnar Nerve & Cubital Tunnel Settlements in California Workers’ Comp

What an ulnar nerve injury pays in California workers’ comp: cubital tunnel and Guyon’s canal entrapments rated like their carpal-tunnel sibling, engine-computed dollars across the WPI range, the ring-and-small-finger story examiners look for, and the surgery-residuals reality.

Carpal tunnel’s less-famous sibling runs behind the elbow: the ulnar nerve, pinched at the cubital tunnel (or, less often, Guyon’s canal at the wrist). Same rating family, same occupational logic — and the same quiet fact that the desk jobs out-rate the custodial middle. Figures computed by the engine.

How ulnar entrapment is measured

The schedule rates it under 16.01.02.03 — entrapment/compression, “other” — from what remains after treatment: ring-and-small-finger sensory loss, grip and pinch weakness, positive electrodiagnostics, and in advanced cases intrinsic wasting. Transposition surgery with a clean result rates low single digits; persistent motor findings push into the teens.

The money table

Final PD and total indemnity at age 37–41, 2026 injury, maximum PD rate, one arm, before apportionment:

WPIClerical · 111Custodian · 340Carpenter · 380
2%4% · $3,4803% · $2,6105% · $4,350
5%8% · $6,9607% · $6,09010% · $8,772.50
8%13% · $12,252.5011% · $9,932.5014% · $13,412.50
12%19% · $20,44517% · $17,54521% · $23,345
8% WPI · group 380 · carpenter
100% (16.01.02.03 - 8 - [1.4]11 - 380H - 14 - 14) = 14% PD · $13,412.50

Note the clerical column (variant G) beating the custodial middle at every row — elbow posture on a keyboard is exactly how office ulnar cases build, and the schedule prices the loss accordingly. Same inversion as the carpal tunnel page.

The companions and the fights

Ulnar entrapment travels in company: carpal tunnel in the same arm (each rates separately, then CVC-combines), epicondylitis — tennis or golfer’s elbow — rating on the elbow page’s lines, and bilateral patterns in repetitive trades. Most cases plead as cumulative trauma; expect the standard §4663 themes (diabetes, prior elbow history) and answer them with clean electrodiagnostics and consistent histories. Companion pages: back · knee · shoulder · neck · hip · wrist · ankle · elbow · foot · hand · carpal tunnel · hearing · eye · amputation · fusion · knee replacement · rotator cuff · hip replacement · hernia · head injury · herniated disc · meniscus · lungs · heart. Estimates for informational use; not legal or medical advice.

Rate your ulnar nerve right here

Same engine as the tables above — pick your occupation and age, slide the WPI from the report, and carry it into the full calculator when you’re ready.

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FAQ

What is the average workers’ comp settlement for ulnar nerve surgery?
Honest anchor instead of a marketing average: engine-computed at the 2026 maximum, a released cubital tunnel with mild residuals (2–5% WPI) rates roughly 3–10% PD ($2,610–$8,772.50 by occupation); persistent numbness and weakness at 8% WPI runs 11–14% PD ($9,932.50–$13,412.50); severe cases with motor loss at 12% WPI reach 17–21% PD ($17,545–$23,345) — before apportionment and future medical.
How is an ulnar nerve injury rated?
As an entrapment/compression neuropathy of the arm (16.01.02.03) — the same family as carpal tunnel, one nerve over. The WPI comes from residual sensory and motor findings after treatment: the classic ring-and-small-finger numbness, grip and pinch weakness, clawing in severe cases, and electrodiagnostics. A clean release with full recovery rates low; documented residuals drive the number.
Is cubital tunnel a cumulative trauma claim?
Usually — sustained elbow flexion and pressure (assembly work, driving, keyboard-and-phone postures, vibrating tools) builds it over time, so it pleads under the §5412 cumulative-trauma rules, often alongside carpal tunnel in the same arm. Each entrapment rates separately and the strings combine on the CVC.
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