The Disability Test Used for Workers' Comp

If you have been injured at work, you are entitled to workers' compensation benefits. These benefits include a payment for any permanent injury -- also known as a permanent impairment or permanent disability -- which arise from the work injury.

Impairment Rating

• To determine the severity of your lasting disability, a doctor will perform a physical examination known as a permanent impairment rating. The impact of your injury on your physical abilities, range of motion, quality of life and ability to carry out daily activities will be assessed and assigned a disability rating expressed as a "whole-person impairment" percentage.

Guidelines

• In the United States, as at September, 2010, doctors are carrying out workers' compensation disability ratings in accordance with the guidelines of the American Medical Association's (AMA's) "Guides to Permanent Impairment," fifth edition. The AMA Guides lay out percentage ranges for different injuries and disabilities -- the individual doctor will then form an opinion as to where in these ranges your individual impairment falls.

Claimant's Choice

• As an injured worker, you are known in legal terms as the claimant. In many states, you are allowed to choose your own doctor to perform the impairment rating -- this right is known as "claimant's choice." The insurance carrier for your employer's workers' compensation policy may also choose a doctor to perform a second rating on your same injury. When the doctors' ratings differ, a compromise between the two percentages may be agreed. If a compromise cannot be reached, a legal hearing may decide which doctor's opinion is the most credible.