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 isn’t just the measured impairment (the whole person impairment). It combines the impairment with an age adjustment that reflects how age affects work ability. Here, the eye burn yields a 14% whole person impairment. For a worker who is 27 years old, the age adjustment adds 5 percentage points, giving a permanent disability rating of 19% (14% + 5% = 19%). So the 19% rating is the correct PD because it applies the age factor to the WPI. The other numbers would ignore or misapply the age adjustment.

In California, the permanent disability rating isn’t just the measured impairment (the whole person impairment). It combines the impairment with an age adjustment that reflects how age affects work ability. Here, the eye burn yields a 14% whole person impairment. For a worker who is 27 years old, the age adjustment adds 5 percentage points, giving a permanent disability rating of 19% (14% + 5% = 19%).

So the 19% rating is the correct PD because it applies the age factor to the WPI. The other numbers would ignore or misapply the age adjustment.