GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 57
Short Title: Workers' Comp/Pay for Hearing Aids & Glasses. (Public)
Sponsors: Senator Hanig (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
February 6, 2025
*S57-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT AMENDING THE WORKERS' COMPENSATIO N ACT DEFINITION OF "INJURY 2
AND PERSONAL INJURY" REGARDING BREAKAGE OR DAMAGE TO 3
EYEGLASSES AND HEARI NG AIDS. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
SECTION 1. G.S. 97-2(6) reads as rewritten: 6
"(6) Injury. – "Injury and personal injury" shall mean only injury by accident 7
arising out of and in the course of the employment, and shall not include a 8
disease in any form, except where it results naturally and unavoidably from 9
the accident. With respect to back injuries, however, where injury to the back 10
arises out of and in the course of the employment and is the direct result of a 11
specific traumatic incident of the work assigned, "injury by accident" shall be 12
construed to include any disabling physical injury to the back arising out of 13
and causally related to such incident. Injury shall include breakage or damage 14
to eyeglasses, hearing aids, dentures, or other prosthetic devices which 15
function as part of the body; provided, however, that eyeglasses and hearing 16
aids will not be replaced, repaired, or otherwise compensated for unless injury 17
to them is incidental to a compensable injury.body." 18
SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to claims for 19
workers' compensation benefits arising prior to, on, or after that date. 20