What does an impairment rating mean as it concerns a Mississippi Workers Compensation case?
The definition of an impairment rating for a Mississippi Workers Compensation case has been debated extensively. However, one thing that can be agreed upon is that an impairment rating is helpful to determining the benefits payable to an injured Mississippi employee. An illustration may be helpful. For example, let us assume that a Mississippi construction worker injures his or her right arm on the job. The construction worker is right-handed and has worked construction for most of his or her life. The construction worker has a 10th grade education. The medical impairment rating is 15%, meaning that he has a loss of use of approximately 15% of a “normal” functioning arm. In other words, the arm is only 85% “normal.” However, the work restrictions from the doctor prevent the Mississippi construction worker from returning to work doing construction. As a result, the injured worker may be entitled to a settlement greater than the 15% impairment rating. This “loss of use” could even result
