296
Opinion of the Court
Shipyards, Inc., 404 U. S. 254, 255-256 (1971) (per curiam); Banks v. Chicago Grain Trimmers Assn., Inc., 390 U. S. 459, 465 (1968). The language of § 22 also provides no support for Rambo's narrow construction of the phrase "change in conditions." The use of "conditions," a word in the plural, suggests that Congress did not intend to limit the bases for modifying awards to a single condition, such as an employee's physical health. See 2A N. Singer, Sutherland on Statutory Construction § 47.34, p. 274 (5th rev. ed. 1992) (" 'Ordinarily the legislature by use of a plural term intends a reference to more than one matter or thing' ") (quoting N. Y. Statutes Law § 252 (McKinney 1971)); cf. 1 U. S. C. § 1 ("[W]ords importing the plural include the singular"). Rather, under the "normal" or "natural reading," Estate of Cowart, supra, at 477, the applicable "conditions" are those that entitled the employee to benefits in the first place, the same conditions on which continuing entitlement is predicated.
Our interpretation is confirmed by the language of LHWCA §§ 2(10) and 8(c)(21). Section 2(10) defines "[d]is-ability" as "incapacity because of injury to earn the wages which the employee was receiving at the time of injury in the same or any other employment." 33 U. S. C. § 902(10). For certain injuries the statute creates a conclusive presumption of incapacity to earn wages and sets compensation at 662/3% of the claimant's actual wage for a fixed number of weeks, according to a statutory schedule. See LHWCA §§ 8(c)(1)-(20), (22), 33 U. S. C. §§ 908(c)(1)-20, (22). When these types of scheduled injuries occur, a claimant simply proves the relevant physical injury and compensation follows for a finite period of time. See Bath Iron Works Corp. v. Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, 506 U. S. 153, 156, n. 4 (1993); Potomac Elec. Power Co. v. Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, 449 U. S. 268, 269 (1980). "In all other cases," however, the statute provides "the compensation shall be 662/3 per centum of the difference between the average weekly wages of the em-
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