Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP)

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Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation (DLHWC)

Chapter 0-600 — REFERENCES

1. Purpose and Scope. This Chapter provides a list of reference or resource materials which may prove useful in researching claims-related or program-related issues. These documents, which should be available to DLHWC claims examining staff, supplement the standard reference documents, i.e., the LHWCA, the regulations pertaining to the LHWCA, and this Procedure Manual.
2. Reference/Resource Materials.
1. Longshore Desk Book. This book was created by the BRB as a book of first reference to assist the BRB and its staff in deciding cases under the LHWCA, as amended, and its extensions. It takes a section-by-section approach to the Act and contains numerous BRB and court citations. (Note, however, that the decisions therein do not necessarily comport with the Director’s administrative construction).
2. Benefits Review Board Service - Longshore Reporter. The multi-volume BRBS - Longshore Reporter, published by Matthew Bender & Company, provides comprehensive coverage of published BRB and court opinions and decisions, and some ALJ decisions, in LHWCA cases.
3. The Law of Workmen's Compensation. This treatise by Arthur Larson presents and discusses the primary principles and rules of workers' compensation. Generally, these principles and rules are common to the vast majority of workers' compensation laws. While this treatise focuses primarily on state workers' compensation laws (which generate the greatest amount of case law), significant federal court decisions concerning the LHWCA are included.
4. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. This manual discusses numerous medical conditions, disorders and diseases, generally in terms of their etiology, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.
5. Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. This reference guide is published, and revised from time to time, by the American Medical Association. It is used by physicians for rating the physical impairment of various organ systems. These ratings are used as the basis of PPD awards under the Act in hearing loss and retiree cases, and are also relevant (though not conclusive) in determining the extent of “loss of use” under the schedule provisions of section 8(c)(19).
3. Subject-Word Index. The Preface contains a subject-word index with appropriate reference to the PM, the LHWCA, and the regulations.
4. Definitions and Abbreviations. Chapter 0-601 contains the definition of terms frequently used in the processing of Longshore cases; however, it does not include terms which are specifically defined in the Act or the regulations, or which are defined or extensively discussed elsewhere in the PM. Chapter 0-602 contains a list of abbreviations frequently used in the LHWCA PM.