The most important number in most workers’ compensation cases is not a dollar sign: it’s the workers’ compensation disability rating based on the medical impairment rating from your doctor. The disability rating is then used to compute a cash settlement.
There is an exception, and it's a critical one. If you're seriously injured in more than one body part, impairment ratings may be misleadingly low. Getting hung up on the ratings could cost you tremendously in highly valuable benefits. But you're going to need an experienced South Carolina workers' compensation attorney to prove you're eligible for them, because you can bet the insurance company will fight tooth and nail against paying for them. As an example, take a look at how we maximized a settlement for a Spartanburg workers' compensation client with multiple injuries and low ratings.
This is where a skilled lawyer can do an injured worker the most good—by maximizing the disability rating. you owe it to yourself to find out how an experienced Spartanburg, SC workers’ comp attorney can help. Get your questions answered in our free, no pressure strategy session. Call toll free at 888-230-1841 or fill out a Get Help Now form.
Let’s break down how it usually works:
Medical Impairment Rating In Workers' Comp Cases
The medical impairment rating basically measures your permanent loss of motion and strength. The doctor bases it on an American Medical Association guide. It’s expressed as a percentage—for example, “15 percent to the arm.”
The process: The doctor begins the rating process when you reach maximum medical improvement, meaning you’re as good as you’ll get from the injury. Sometimes the doctor just does the rating at your final visit when he releases you. Or he may send you for a functional capacity evaluation, often at the physical therapy office. It’s a series of physical tasks and tests resulting in a report the doctor uses to give your rating.
Free pointer: Always be honest and thorough about your pain and limitations with all health providers. This helps them make a clinical record of the injury’s effects on you, so can get the most accurate rating possible.
Worker’s Compensation Disability Rating
We use the impairment rating to get a higher disability rating. To do that, we show how your permanent impairment hurts your ability to work. We describe how that 15 percent impairment to your arm keeps you from lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling as you need to do at work. This way, your disability rating truly measures the injury’s impact on your ability to do your job. A 15 percent impairment doesn’t guarantee you can still perform 85 percent of your job perfectly.
That's why a key component of this factor can be your permanent work restrictions.
To give even more meaning to the impairment rating, we describe its impact on your daily life and hobbies.
Getting Proper Disability Ratings Is Hard Work in South Carolina
Arriving at a proper disability rating requires hard work gathering facts, sifting through medical evidence, then presenting it in a compelling way to maximize your compensation. If you’ve been hurt at work in Spartanburg, Greenville, or nearby, you need an experienced professional who's created a process to get you a good workers' comp settlement. This is your one shot to get yourself what you deserve for an injury that might affect you forever.
Call us toll free at 888.230.1841 for a FREE meeting to discuss how we can handle your settlement process, so you can rest assured an experienced professional is making sure you’re taken care of. You can also fill out a contact form found here and we will get back to you shortly.
