Permanent Partial Disability Benefits

As an  injured worker, you are not only entitled to weekly disability benefits – called Temporary Total or Temporary Partial Workers’ Compensation benefits.  You may also be entitled to Permanent Partial Disability Benefits based upon an impairment rating issued by your  treating physician.   Often the insurance adjuster will not advise you of these benefits to which you are legally entitled.

Unlike total disability and temporary disability benefits for workers’ compensation claims, permanent partial disability benefits are paid specifically because of the injury itself.  Permanent partial disability means disability partial in character but permanent in quality resulting from the loss or loss of use of body members or from the partial loss of use of the employee’s body.

The rating assigned to a permanent partial disability rating, stems from the authorized treating doctor’s assessment using the AMA guidelines.  However, the rating can, and often does, change depending upon the doctor assigning the rating.

Permanent partial disability  benefits become due when the workers’ compensation claimant is no longer receiving weekly benefits in the form of TTD or TPD.