Permanent Partial Disability Explained
Utah allows for compensation to injured workers that sustain a permanent injury. Permanent partial disability is computed after the injury has recovered or has been rehabilitated as much as possible. This is normally after an injured worker has received all possible medical treatment and the injury is not getting substantially better or worse. This state is called maximum medical improvement.
Once an injured worker is at maximum medical improvement, an impairment rating will be provided by a trained physician. However, some permanent conditions can be easily calculated by simply referring to the Utah Code. These scheduled injuries mostly deal with amputations.
An impairment rating is used to calculate the amount of compensation an injured worker is entitled to. The impairment rating is the only variable in a simple calculation to determine the amount of compensation.
The impairment rating is divided by 312 months, which is equivalent to six years. This converts the impairment rating into the number of weeks of compensation that will be awarded to an injured worker. The number of weeks is then multiplied by the injured workers compensation rate.
An injured worker’s compensation rate is usually calculated by multiplying 2/3 by the average of the 13 weeks of pay prior to the accident. $20 can be added for a spouse and dependent children. However, that dependent amount is limited to four children.
The highest amount a person can get for an injury in 2020 for permanent partial disability is $636.00 per week. The maximum compensation rate for each year can be found on the Utah Labor Commission website.
Mathematically, PPD = (impairment rating x 312) x compensation rate.
For example:
An injured worker has a 10% impairment rating and a compensation rate of $636 per week. The amount of permanent partial disability will be $19,843.20.
Mathematically PPD = (impairment rating x 312) x compensation rate.
$19,843.20 = (.10 x 312) x $636
It is important to make sure that the correct impairment rating is given. We have seen hundreds and hundreds of cases where an injured worker was awarded an 0% impairment rating for a workplace accident. We have also seen impairment ratings that are too low. Call our office if you are unsure of what your impairment rating should be.
It is also important to make sure your compensation rate is calculated correctly. We have seen hundreds of miscalculated compensation rates.
It is our opinion that insurance companies do not care about you or your family. Some do not seem to be able to do third-grade math and are careless in calculating benefits despite being able to count the billions of dollars and compounding interest in their bank account. Call our office if you have questions about your impairment rating, compensation rate, or permanent partial disability.