This impairment rating calculator uses each state's own schedule: the weeks the law sets for losing a body part, times your rating. Texas works per rating point instead.
How the impairment rating calculator gets the weeks
Many states list body parts in a schedule with a set number of weeks. Illinois sets 205 weeks for a hand for injuries since mid-2011. Ohio sets 175 weeks for a hand.
A rating is a share of that total loss. A 20% rating on an Illinois hand is 20% of 205 weeks or 41 weeks. The calculator does that math for the state and body part you pick.
Texas and whole-body ratings
Texas does not use a body-part schedule. It pays three weeks of benefits for each rating point, so a 10% rating pays 30 weeks. Each of those weeks pays 70% of your average weekly wage.
Back and neck injuries are usually rated against the whole body in every state. Those claims follow the state's own formula and your rating letter or award gives the weeks.
From weeks to dollars
The weeks are only half of the value. Each week pays at your state's permanent disability rate, which is a share of your wage with its own cap. Put the weeks and that weekly rate into the settlement calculator to see the total.
Future medical care, unpaid back benefits and penalties are separate from this number. A settlement offer that is lower than the rating's value deserves a second look before you sign.
If the rating looks too low
A rating is one doctor's opinion and the insurer's doctor often gives a lower one. You can usually ask for another exam. In Texas you must dispute the first rating within 90 days or it becomes final.
Read more on how impairment ratings work and on maximum medical improvement, the point where the rating is given.
People also ask
Is a 10% impairment rating good or bad?
It depends on the body part and the state. Ten percent of a long schedule, such as an arm, pays more weeks than ten percent of a thumb.
Can my rating go up later?
It can if your condition gets worse. Most states let you reopen a claim for a while and the window differs by state.
Who gives the impairment rating?
A doctor gives it once you reach maximum medical improvement. The insurer can send you to its own doctor for a second rating.