Permanent Disability

Some work-related injuries are not temporary.  If a doctor says you will never recover completely, or you will always be limited in the work you can do, you may have a permanent disability. This means that you may be eligible for permanent disability (PD) benefits.

When you reach a point where your medical condition is not improving and not getting worse, your condition is called “permanent and stationary” (P&S). This is referred to as the point in time when you have reached maximal medical improvement (MMI). When this happens, your primary treating physician writes a P&S report.  In the report, the doctor addresses several issues.  One important issue that should be addressed is an estimate of how much of your disability is caused by your job, compared to how much it is caused by other factors (called "apportionment"). 

A “rating” is what determines the amount of your PD benefits.  A rating is a percentage that estimates how much your disability limits the kinds of work you can do or your ability to earn a living.  A ratings are based on several factors:

• medical condition
• date of injury
• age when injured
• occupation 
• apportionment 

​A rating of 100 percent means that you have a permanent total disability.  Ratings of 100 percent are very rare.  A rating between 1 percent and 99 percent means you have a permanent partial disability.

After obtaining a rating, if the rating is not disputed, you will know exactly what you are entitled to.

Call us for a FREE CONSULTATION!  If nothing else, we can at least try to tell you what you might be entitled to.

NOTICE:  Making a false or fraudulent workers’ compensation claim is a felony subject to up to 5 years in prison or a fine of up to $50,000 or double the value of the fraud, whichever is greater, or by both imprisonment and fine.