Workers’ Comp Settlement Chart

If you get hurt on the job, you may be able to receive workers’ compensation to cover the costs of your injuries. The treatment you receive includes paid medical care, but determining the exact costs can be tricky. Tools such as a workers comp settlement body part prices chart help determine how much an injured worker should receive. 

How Much Are Body Parts Worth in Workers’ Compensation?

Workers’ compensation body part values are determined by a formula that varies from state to state. This formula assigns a specific number of weeks of compensation to each body part on a body part value chart. Doctors use this chart to rate what portion of the body is impaired. The calculation multiplies the impairment rating times the number of weeks of compensation for the specific body part times a portion of the worker’s wages. This total is what the injured worker would receive.

What Happens if Your Injuries Are Permanent? 

Many injuries can improve with treatment. But some don’t. What happens if you lose a toe, an arm, or your eyesight? What if your back is never the same after your injury? A workers’ comp settlement chart can shed some light on how permanent injuries are handled in the Florida workers’ compensation system. 

Remember, Florida uses a slightly different system than most states’ workers’ comp settlement charts.

Florida Workers Comp Settlement Chart

Each state has an exact payout workers’ compensation body parts chart. Florida uses the 1996 Florida Uniform Permanent Impairment Rating Schedule¹ to advise physicians on how to assign impairment ratings. The impairment rating given is used with the body part workers compensation injury chart to calculate the workers’ compensation settlement.

Work Comp Settlement Chart Impairment Rating Examples

Nature of the Injury	Percent Impairment Rating
Dislocation reduced without fusion	5%
Dislocation unreduced	5-15%
Impairment of Cervical, Thoracic and Lumbar Regions due to Ankylosis	2-56%, depending on the area affected
Hemipelvectomy	50% of the whole person
Impairment of the Thumb	Up to 45%
Shoulder joint injuries	0-100%
Bone and joint deformity and instability	0-60%
Hands and fingers	Up to 40%, depending on what’s affected
Upper extremities	Up to 60%
Lower extremities	Up to 100%
Knee joints	0-90%
Hips	0-100%
Facial paralysis	Up to 45%
Pain or loss of sensation	0-100%
Motor Deficits	0-100%
Respiratory Impairment	1-95%

This workman’s comp settlement chart gives physicians guidance as they determine the rating for an individual. There are criteria for evaluating a person that the physician must follow.

As you can see, significant variations may exist for a particular body part on the body part workers comp settlement chart. Depending on the nature of the injury, the same body part may have an impairment rating of 100% or nothing at all. The physician must understand how ratings are determined and that they make the evaluation correctly.

Impairment and Disability Ratings in Florida

What Is Permanent Impairment in Florida Workers’ Compensation?

When a person has lingering anatomical abnormalities or loss after maximum medical improvement, the injury is considered a permanent impairment under the Florida workers’ compensation system. The person must have received treatment to the point that the injury is stable or non-progressive when evaluated by a physician.

What Is a Permanent Disability in Florida Workers’ Compensation?

A person is permanently disabled if they have a reduced or complete inability to work because of their injuries. The condition is not expected to change or improve in the future.

Who Determines the Permanent Impairment Rating in Florida Workers Comp?

The physician determines the permanent impairment rating in a Florida workers comp case. It is a medical determination based on evaluating the person’s illness or injury. The physician looks at how the injuries impact daily life, including:

• Self-care
• Communication
• Normal living functions
• Movement and independence
• Elevation
• Traveling
• Use of the hands

What Is the Rating of Permanent Disability in Workers’ Comp?

The rating of permanent disability in workers’ comp is the injured person’s ability to engage in gainful work in the future. It may depend on more factors than just the injury. It may depend on:

• Age
• Education
• Economic environment
• Social environment
• Other factors

The Florida Uniform Permanent Impairment Rating does not, by itself, determine permanent disability. The rating must be used in conjunction with the payout workers comp settlement chart for exact amounts.

Permanent Impairment Rating Weeks Pay Workers Compensation Chart

Percent Permanent Impairment Rating	Number of Weeks’ Pay Per Percentage Point	Total Weeks’ Pay
1%	2	2
2%	2	4
3%	2	6
4%	2	8
5%	2	10
10%	2	20
11%	20 +	23
12%	20 + 63	26
13%	20 + 9	29
14%	20 + 12	32
15%	20 + 15	35
16-20%	35 + 4 per point over 15	41-55
21+%	55 + 6 per point over 20	61+

The amount of pay depends on the percent impairment rating:

1. The percent rating is assigned.
2. Each percent correlates to a point system. 
3. Points are calculated to determine the number of weeks paid. 
4. Weeks paid are multiplied by the applicable wage to determine the amount. There are maximum amounts that can be awarded.

As the percentage impairment rating increases, the number of weeks’ pay per point increases.

• 1-10% impairment rating – two weeks’ pay for each percentage point
• 11-15% impairment rating – 20 weeks for the first ten percentage points and three weeks per percentage point above 10
• 16-20% impairment rating – 35 weeks for the first 15 percentage points and four weeks per percentage point above 15
• 21-100% impairment rating – 61 weeks for the first 21 percentage points and six weeks per percentage point above 20, up to maximum amounts

Once you have the impairment rating, you can calculate the number of weeks of pay from the workers’ comp settlement chart.

For example, if your impairment rating is 12%, you would receive two weeks’ impairment pay for each point from 1% to 10%, or 20 points. Then, you receive three weeks each for your 21st and 22nd impairment points. That’s a total of 26 weeks of pay for your permanent impairment.

If you return to work, your benefits may be reduced. You can use the Impairment Income Benefit Calculator² to estimate your amounts. The benefits calculator should only be used as a guide.

What Is the Whole-Person Concept in Florida Workers’ Compensation?

Even though an injury may happen to only one body part, it can affect a person’s entire physical and mental status. Impairments are expressed as whole-person impairment. There is a process to convert regional impairments to the whole person. Injuries to multiple systems may be combined to create a total rating with the body parts payout workers comp settlement chart.

Lawyers for Workers’ Comp Settlements

While a workers’ compensation settlement chart can give you an idea of the payout expected, the best way to know what your case is worth is to get a customized evaluation from our experienced lawyers. Workers’ compensation is extremely specific to the individual situation. What’s true on a chart, or in someone else’s case, may not apply to you. 

Let us give you a personalized consultation and explain how we can represent you in the claims process. Contact us today.

Sources:

¹1996 Florida uniform permanent impairment rating schedule. Choice Provider Network. Retrieved 7 June 2022.

²Impairment Income Benefit Calculator. My Florida CFO. Retrieved 7 June 2022.