Morgan’s Tip of the Week – Impairment Ratings
Greetings, according to the Fla Admin code, medical providers in Fla Workers’ Comp are to use the 1996 Florida Impairment rating schedule to determine impairment ratings. I’ve attached a link below to the actual guides.
Often we see issues arise in this area, and if the rating looks off, we should always check.
- Sometimes providers use the AMA guides instead of the 1996 Florida Guide. In liability cases in Florida, the AMA guide is used, and they often get confused.
- Each injury has an assigned rating, but that is just for that portion of the body, it needs to be converted to a “whole person” rating. So it’s a 2 step process. Sometimes providers don’t convert it to the whole.
- Two plus two doesn’t always equal four. There is a chart that shows how to combine ratings from more than one body part, and its not simple addition.
- Sometimes you can’t get a doctor to even assign a rating. And per the Gauthier case, the statute of limitations does not run unless the Impairment benefits are paid, if any would be due. In the past, I have taken the appropriate section from the guides, calculated what I can determine (if possible), and sent it to the doctor to sign off.
- But….don’t go playing doctor. Sometimes the rating is clear and other times it takes the doctor measuring aspects of the injury such as range of motion, etc….Here is a link to the Guides.