The employee's right major index finger fails to clear the mid-palm on active flexion by 3/4 inch, and there is a 25 percent weighted grip loss. What is the permanent disability percentage?

The employee's right major index finger fails to clear the mid-palm on active flexion by 3/4 inch, and there is a 25 percent weighted grip loss. What is the permanent disability percentage?

• A. 4 percent
• B. 7 percent
• C. 5 percent
• D. 2 percent

Answer: (C)

In California workers’ comp rating for hand injuries, you determine permanent disability by two pieces of impairment and then combine them using the Combined Values Chart: impairment from finger function and impairment from grip strength. You don’t just add percentages. Here, the major index finger’s active flexion not clearing the mid-palm by 3/4 inch translates to a 4% impairment of the hand. The grip weakness contributes a 25% weighted grip loss as a separate impairment factor. When these two impairments are combined per the chart, the total permanent disability comes to 5%. So the key idea is using the two impairment sources (finger deficit and grip loss) and combining them properly rather than simply adding or picking a single number. This scenario yields 5% PD.

In California workers’ comp rating for hand injuries, you determine permanent disability by two pieces of impairment and then combine them using the Combined Values Chart: impairment from finger function and impairment from grip strength. You don’t just add percentages.

Here, the major index finger’s active flexion not clearing the mid-palm by 3/4 inch translates to a 4% impairment of the hand. The grip weakness contributes a 25% weighted grip loss as a separate impairment factor. When these two impairments are combined per the chart, the total permanent disability comes to 5%.

So the key idea is using the two impairment sources (finger deficit and grip loss) and combining them properly rather than simply adding or picking a single number. This scenario yields 5% PD.