What is a permanent partial impairment rating?
The North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act provides that an injured worker is entitled to compensation for permanent injuries to particular body parts. Only certain body parts apply. A doctor will assign a permanent partial impairment rating when he or she believes that the injured worker “is as good as he’s going to get.” The rating is based on the percentage of disability for that particular body part. For example a 15% rating to the hand entitles an individual to 30 weeks of benefits. However, it may not be in your best interest to resolve a claim based on the rating. In North Carolina you have the option to elect between being paid based on your rating or based on wage loss. Quite often it is more advantageous to resolve your claim based on wage loss.
