Medical impairment ratings are a way of assessing the severity of your work injury. They are used in cases where your injury is permanent as opposed to something that will heal in time. Doctors use various factors to determine the impairment rating that applies to your injury. Doctors can\u2019t just pick a rating out of a hat. They need to justify their rating. That is why the North Carolina Industrial Commission provides guidelines for doctors. Doctors are required to use the guidelines to help them give the final rating\/assessment of your injury.
\nAn experienced North Carolina work injury lawyer is needed to help workers fight to get the correct rating. Attorney Joe Miller, who has helped thousands of injured workers for over a quarter century, understands the rating process. Click here to watch his video regarding permanency ratings. He works to let the doctor know all of your medical complaints and how they affect your ability to work. He reviews the medical reports for accuracy and thoroughness to help the doctor see your full medical problem.
\nOne thing that is significant that should be noted: Unlike North Carolina, permanency ratings for the spine do NOT EXIST in Virginia. Ironically, in North Carolina, spinal impairment carries the highest potential number of weeks of impairment of any body part, namely, 300 weeks. The impairment ratings, which are expressed as percentage ratings, for the spine, pelvis, cervix, coccyx, and for ruptured lumbar (back) discs are as follows:<\/p>\n
Please know that the statutes, as written, refer to the back, not the spine. When rating impairment to the spine, doctors should always refer to it as the back (percentage of the back, not percentage of the spine.)<\/p>\n
CERVICAL SPINE FRACTURES CERVICAL DISC<\/strong> Thoracic Spine<\/strong> Lumbar Spine<\/strong> *This Section clarified as of February 15, 2000* FIRST EXAMPLE: 40% (A) & 20% (B)<\/em> SECOND EXAMPLE (When total exceeds 100%): 70% (A) and 40% (B)<\/em> \u2022 FRACTURED ACETABULUM-(evaluate on basis of hip disability-see hip section) The following guide is suggested for use in rating of patients with ruptured lumbar discs from the standpoint of permanent partial impairment to the back, as recommended by the North Carolina Orthopaedic Society and the neurosurgeons of North Carolina: We should mention one final note on impairment ratings, which is also discussed in Joe Miller\u2019s Video on impairment ratings. If your work injuries prevent you from returning to work, you should not really get too caught up in an analysis of the ratings. Unless you have at least two ratable body parts severely injured, the ratings are not going to be much of a factor in valuing your case. This is because you are limited to 500 weeks total TTD. The ratings cannot add to that total. So in most cases, if you are unable to return to work, the future potential TTD that you may draw is going to be far more significant than anything that a rating can provide you.<\/p>\n The treating doctor is often one that is on a list of doctors chosen by the employer or the employer\u2019s insurance company. To help this doctor make as objective a decision as possible, it helps to have an experienced North Carolina work injury lawyer on your side. An experienced lawyer explains to workers that they need to inform the doctor of all their complaints. The lawyer reviews the medical reports to see if the doctor is following the North Carolina Industrial Commission guidelines. For strong legal counsel phone North Carolina Workers\u2019 Compensation<\/a> attorney Joe Miller now at 888-694-1671<\/a> . You can also complete his contact form.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Medical impairment ratings are a way of assessing the severity of your work injury. They are used in cases where your injury is permanent as opposed to something that will heal in time. Doctors use various factors to determine the impairment rating that applies to your injury. Doctors can\u2019t just pick a rating out of … <\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Single, healed, with little or moderate anterior compression and without neurological findings
\no Body = 10%
\no and\/or posterior elements\u2014arch, transverse process (additional) = 5%
\n\u2022 Two or more vertebrae, each additional = 50% of above
\n\u2022 Add, for neurological
\no Quadriplegia<\/a> = 100% of man
\no Nerve root, one arm, or both arms: Functional rating is added to cervical spine percentage.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Anterior discectomy, with or without fusion\u2014free of neck and arm pain\u2014no weakness = 5%
\n\u2022 Postoperative\u2014with recurrent episodes of significant cervical and arm pain associated with objective findings = 10-15%
\n\u2022 Posterior laminectomy\u2014removal of ruptured disc\u2014free of neck and arm pain\u2014no weakness = 5%
\n\u2022 Postoperative\u2014with recurrent episodes of significant cervical pain associated with objective findings = 10-15%<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 THORACIC SPINE FRACTURES (Treat As CERVICAL SPINE, A) (Correction, July 8, 2016)
\n\u2022 THORACIC DISC (rate as Ruptured Lumbar Disc)<\/p>\n
\nLUMBAR SPINE FRACTURES (including lower three dorsal vertebrae)
\n\u2022 One body = 10%
\n\u2022 and\/or posterior elements (arch and\/ or transverse process) = additional 5%
\n\u2022 (Two or more) = 50% of above
\n\u2022 Add for loss of motion
\no Mild (0%-25% limitation) = 5%
\no Moderate (25%-50% limitation) = 10%
\no Marked (50% or more limitation) = 20%
\n\u2022 Add for neurological changes: (paraplegias are established)
\no One or both legs, functional rating.
\nB. INVERTEBRAL DISC (rate as Ruptured Lumbar Discs)<\/p>\n
\nWhat happens if you have more than one back injury?
\nIf a claimant has two injuries to the back and has separate impairments, these ratings should be calculated separately and then combined. Do not add the percentages of impairment. A few examples follow:<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 In this example, the first percentage of impairment, 40% (A) is subtracted from 100%.
\no 100% – 40% = 60% (C)
\n\u2022 The second percentage of impairment 20% (B) is calculated from the remaining percentage (C), which in this case is 60%.
\no 20% of 60% = 12% (D)
\n\u2022 The total percentage of impairment is the sum of 40% (A) plus 12% (D).
\n\u2022 40% + 12% = 52% total percentage of impairment<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 In this example, the first percentage of impairment 70% (A) is subtracted from 100%.
\no 100% – 70% = 30% (C)
\n\u2022 The second percentage of impairment 40% (B) is calculated from the remaining percentage (C), which in this case is 30%.
\no 40% of 30% = 12% (D)
\n\u2022 The total percentage of impairment is the sum of 70% (A) plus 12% (D).
\n\u2022 70% + 12% = 82% total percentage of impairment
\nPelvis (ate as percentage of spine unless acetabulum is involved)<\/strong>
\n\u2022 SYMPHYSIS SEPARATION = 10%
\n\u2022 ILIUM
\no With pelvic ring intact = 0%
\no With pelvic ring displaced 1″ or more = 10%
\n\u2022 ISCHIUM
\no Healed, no deformity = 0%
\no Healed, deformity and pain = 5-10%<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 PELVIC RING DISPLACED PLUS SACROILIAC JOINT DISPLACED (if leg shortening, add that) = 15%
\nSacrum
\n\u2022 Healed, no pain = 0%
\n\u2022 Healed, with significant residual deformity = 10%
\nCoccyx
\n\u2022 Healed, no pain = 0%
\n\u2022 Healed, deformity and significant objective signs = 5-10%
\n\u2022 Excised (as above under healed fractures)<\/p>\nRuptured Lumbar Discs<\/h3>\n
\n\u2022 Typical episode of back and leg pain that completely recovers without neurological defect on conservative therapy = 0%
\n\u2022 Same as (1) with recurrent episodes of significant back pain associated with objective findings = 5-10%
\n\u2022 Postoperative-removal of ruptured disc-free of back and leg pain-no weakness = 5%
\n\u2022 Postoperative-with recurrent episodes of significant back pain associated with objective findings = 10-15%
\n\u2022 Postoperative-removal of ruptured disc and spinal fusion. Same as (3) = 25%
\n\u2022 Postoperative-removal of rupture disc and spinal fusion. Same as (4) = 25-30%<\/p>\nMake the Call to a Strong North Carolina Work Injury Advocate Today<\/h2>\n