Work-related injuries can result in permanent limitations that may hinder but not completely prevent you from working. Under Workers’ Compensation, your treating physician may assign you a Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) rating expressed in a percentage. What is PPD, and what benefits can you receive?
Permanent Partial Disability Defined
Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) describes a condition where an injured worker has incurred a permanent disablement that partially prevents them from working. They can perform some work, but not necessarily the work they previously enjoyed.
Workers’ Compensation in Oklahoma provides PPD benefits to provide financial support to employees who have suffered a permanent partial disability due to their workplace injury. There are specific criteria the injured employee must meet to qualify for PPD benefits, and your benefits can vary depending on your type of injury and the percentage of permanent disablement.
Calculating Your Disability Percentage for PPD
Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation uses two methods to determine your amount of Permanent Partial Disability:
- Scheduled Injuries
- Non-Scheduled Injuries
Scheduled Injuries
These injuries are included on a printed schedule as formulated by the OK Workers’ Compensation Commission. They include injuries to or losses of the extremities or sensory organs (sight, hearing, etc.). The schedule contains a table for each body part (and the whole body) to calculate the benefit amounts for each percentage of disability.
Non-Scheduled Injuries
These injuries are to those body parts not listed on the PPD schedules used by Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation. Such injuries include those affecting the entire body, torso, trunk, head, and internal organs. Calculating your Permanent Partial Disability percentage and benefits is much more complex because no established schedule lists percentages and related benefit amounts.
Two factors are involved in calculating an Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation PPD settlement amount:
- Your whole person permanent impairment rating is calculated according to the Sixth Edition of the American Medical Association’s Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment.
- Your weekly indemnity rate for PPD.
A sample PPD settlement calculation could look like this:
- Your average weekly earnings for the entire working period for this employer = $800.
- Multiply this by 70%, not to exceed $360 per week (800 x .70 = $560; this means your maximum permanent disability indemnity rate would be $360)
- If your impairment rating under the 6th Edition of the AMA Guides has been determined by Workers’ Compensation to be 25% of the whole person, you would multiply this percentage by 360 weeks and your permanent disability indemnity rate to calculate your final settlement.
- .25 x 360 x $360 = $32,400.
Your total PPD settlement would be $32,400.
It is important to note that any medical evaluation to determine PPD can only occur after you have reached the level of Maximum Medical Improvement. MMI is defined as when your injury becomes static and permanent, and no further treatment or passage of time will further improve your condition.
Get Experienced Help With Your Oklahoma PPD Benefits
PPD benefit calculations are essential to provide you with some compensation for a permanent partial disability from your work-related injury. Nothing can replace what you lost, but some compensation can help you build a new life and face any new challenges stemming from your injury. Therefore, it is critical that you partner with an experienced and knowledgeable Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Attorney from The Armstrong Law Firm, PLC.
Disability evaluations, calculations, and other necessary process components are complex, expensive, and time-consuming. You need a seasoned guide to be sure the insurance company or your employer does not hinder the process or otherwise keep you from receiving everything you deserve. Our attorneys are your advocates when you have suffered a severe injury at work and deserve compensation.
Contact our Tulsa, OK, office today to schedule a free case evaluation.