ABSTRACT
When the 1972 Amendments to the Longshore Act were passed by Congress, if one were
to ask employers or claimants about the importance of hearing loss claims, the response
would have been uncontrolled laughter. Hearing loss claims were virtually unheard of,
and at the preamendment maximum weekly compensation rate of $70, any award
would have been, in any case, rather small. Now, only the claimants are laughing, although
many of them cannot hear the laughter.
