A 27-year-old chemist has a chemical burn to the eyes in 2010 producing a 14% whole person impairment. What is the rating?

A 27-year-old chemist has a chemical burn to the eyes in 2010 producing a 14% whole person impairment. What is the rating?

• A. 14%
• B. 15%
• C. 19%
• D. 21%

Answer: (C)

In California, the permanent disability rating is based on the measured impairment but then adjusted for the worker’s age (and sometimes occupation). Younger workers get a higher PD rating for the same impairment because they have more years of earning capacity lost. Here, the eye injury yields 14% whole person impairment, but at age 27 the age adjustment increases the rating to about 19%. So the permanent disability rating is 19%. The 14% value is the impairment, not the final PD rating, and the age factor explains why the rating is higher than the impairment percentage.

In California, the permanent disability rating is based on the measured impairment but then adjusted for the worker’s age (and sometimes occupation). Younger workers get a higher PD rating for the same impairment because they have more years of earning capacity lost. Here, the eye injury yields 14% whole person impairment, but at age 27 the age adjustment increases the rating to about 19%. So the permanent disability rating is 19%. The 14% value is the impairment, not the final PD rating, and the age factor explains why the rating is higher than the impairment percentage.