What is my Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) rate based on?
Your PPD rate is determined by a calculation (as set out in 820 ILCS 305/10) of your average weekly wage (AWW) rate, reduced by 40%, thus arriving at a “PPD rate”. This amount should amount to sixty percent (60%) of your average, gross, weekly wage for the year preceding the accident, but it does not include some types of income and/or benefits that your employer would otherwise pay you, but for this accident. Most times, at the conclusion of all of your medical treatment, an employee has the right to receive an award, based upon the permanent disability of the body part that was injured. As discussed in the immediately preceding paragraphs, the calculation of this PPD amount is very critical to the employee, because it forms the basis upon which to calculate the employee’s PPD settlement or award. Since this PPD rate is based upon the AWW calculation; and this AWW calculation is an area where historically, the workers’ compensation carriers (in this writer’s opinion) make errors, it i
