How to Determine a PPD Rating in Georgia
- 1). Evaluate your injury. A localized injury will likely result in a smaller PPD rating than a large injury. When evaluating the injury, consider the amount of loss of function. For example, if you have a wrist injury, consider if there is a reduction in the range of motion of the wrist. If there is, consider how much of a reduction there is compared to an uninjured wrist. The goal is to determine how much of a difference between normal function and current function there is due to the injury.
- 2). Use the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment to determine the extent of your injury. The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment are available for purchase on the American Medical Association website, through other online retailers, and at many local bookstores and libraries. Make sure you take into account the effect the injury has on your ability to perform your normal work. Even a small injury can have a major effect on your ability to earn a living if it keeps you from doing your job. An example might be a concert violinist, for whom a relatively small injury to a finger could be potentially career-ending. Someone with the same injury in a profession that requires less precision in that part of the body would not have as severe of an issue from that injury.
- 3). Utilizing the PPD rating you've determined, you can estimate your benefits on the Georgia Workforce website. The rating is a percent of impairment, either to a specific body part or to the body as a whole. For example, a severe injury to a leg could result in a rating of 40 percent impairment to the body as a whole, or 85 percent impairment to the extremity individually. The higher the rating, the higher the impairment. The amount of your benefits depends on your income prior to the injury. If you are on complete disability, the amount you would receive per week would be your average weekly paycheck, divided by 1.5. If you are on light or restricted duty due to your injury, you would receive a check equivalent to 2/3 the difference between your average weekly paycheck before the injury and your current paycheck. The amount you receive may be subject to a capped maximum amount.