According to Benson, how should multiple injuries be settled?

According to Benson, how should multiple injuries be settled?

• A. All injuries in a single settlement
• B. Each injury separately
• C. One injury only
• D. Not settleable

Answer: (B)

When a worker has multiple injuries, the assessed approach is to settle each injury separately. This Benson rule ensures that the settlement addresses the specific impairment, medical needs, and rights tied to each individual injury rather than lumping everything into one blanket agreement. By handling them one by one, the parties can allocate settlement funds appropriately, preserve the proper medical and disability rights for each injury, and avoid ambiguities or unintended releases that could occur if all injuries were settled in a single, global agreement. In practice, this means issuing separate compromise and release agreements (or separate settlements) for each injury rather than merging everything into one settlement.

When a worker has multiple injuries, the assessed approach is to settle each injury separately. This Benson rule ensures that the settlement addresses the specific impairment, medical needs, and rights tied to each individual injury rather than lumping everything into one blanket agreement. By handling them one by one, the parties can allocate settlement funds appropriately, preserve the proper medical and disability rights for each injury, and avoid ambiguities or unintended releases that could occur if all injuries were settled in a single, global agreement. In practice, this means issuing separate compromise and release agreements (or separate settlements) for each injury rather than merging everything into one settlement.