A serious work injury can change your life forever. If you’ve suffered a permanent impairment — even if you can return to work in some capacity — you may be entitled to Permanent Disability (PD) benefits under California’s workers’ compensation system.
Understanding how PD ratings work is critical to getting the full compensation you deserve. Too often, insurance companies and medical evaluators try to minimize your rating, which can dramatically reduce your payout.
At Employees First Labor Law, we fight to make sure your disability is properly valued — and that you aren’t left with pennies for a life-changing injury.
🔹 What Is a Permanent Disability Rating?
A Permanent Disability Rating (PDR) is a percentage that reflects how much your work-related injury has permanently reduced your ability to earn a living. It’s the cornerstone of your long-term workers’ comp benefits.
You become eligible for a PDR once your medical condition has reached Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) — the point at which your condition has stabilized and is not expected to improve with further treatment.
This rating is used to determine how much money you’re entitled to receive in Permanent Disability benefits under California Labor Code §§ 4650–4664.
🔹 How Are Permanent Disability Ratings Calculated in California?
Your PDR isn’t just pulled out of thin air. It’s based on a formula that incorporates multiple factors:
1. Whole Person Impairment (WPI) Rating
Your treating physician or a Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME) assigns a WPI percentage to each injured body part, based on the American Medical Association (AMA) Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 5th Edition.
2. Occupation & Age Adjustment
Your WPI is then adjusted using:
- Your age at the time of injury (older workers get a higher adjustment)
- Your job classification (heavier jobs lead to higher adjustments)
3. Standard Rating to Final Rating
California applies a FEC (Future Earning Capacity) adjustment and converts the standard rating into a Final PD Rating — the percentage that determines your benefits.
Example:
A warehouse worker with a 30% WPI to their back might receive a final PD rating of 40% or higher due to age and occupational factors. A desk worker with the same WPI might receive 25–30%.
🔹 How Permanent Disability Ratings Affect Your Compensation
The PD rating percentage directly correlates to how much money you’re eligible to receive in PD benefits.
Here’s a general breakdown:
| Permanent Disability Rating | Estimated Total Benefits |
|---|---|
| 1% – 25% | $4,000 – $30,000 |
| 26% – 49% | $30,000 – $100,000 |
| 50% – 69% | $100,000 – $250,000+ |
| 70% – 99% | $250,000 – $1,000,000+ |
| 100% (Total Disability) | Lifetime payments + medical |
These payments are typically made in weekly installments but can also be negotiated into a lump sum settlement, especially when combined with a future medical award.
⚠️ Important: A difference of just 5–10% in your PD rating can mean tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional compensation.
🔹 Partial vs. Total Permanent Disability
- Partial Permanent Disability (PPD) means you’re permanently impaired but still capable of some work.
- Total Permanent Disability (TPD) means you can no longer work at all due to the injury. These are 100% PD ratings, and you’re entitled to lifetime wage replacement and ongoing medical care.
Examples of injuries that may result in 100% PD:
- Paralysis
- Total blindness
- Loss of both arms or legs
- Severe traumatic brain injury
- Advanced CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome)
🔹 Can You Challenge a Low PD Rating?
Yes — and you absolutely should.
Insurance carriers frequently rely on biased medical evaluations that underrate your disability, undervalue subjective pain, and ignore psychological harm or functional limitations.
You Can:
- Request a new evaluation by a Panel QME
- Dispute the findings at a workers’ comp hearing
- Obtain a second opinion from your own medical-legal evaluator
- Challenge the methodology or calculations used
These disputes are common and high-stakes. You should never accept a PD rating without having it reviewed by a qualified workers’ comp attorney.
🔹 What About Ratings for Multiple Injuries?
If you injured more than one part of your body — e.g., a back and a knee, or hand and psychological trauma — the ratings are combined using California’s Combined Values Chart (CVC).
This formula is not additive and is designed to reduce the total combined rating — another reason why expert representation is critical. We regularly fight low combined values and improper adjustments.
🔹 How EFLL Protects Your Permanent Disability Claim
At Employees First Labor Law, we’ve handled hundreds of cases involving serious and permanent injuries. We know how to:
- Audit your rating and identify undervaluation
- Coordinate new medical-legal exams that fairly reflect your limitations
- Maximize value through strategic settlement negotiation
- Pursue additional compensation through third-party civil claims if your injury was caused by another company, product, or person
Our clients have suffered:
- Amputations
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neurological trauma
- Career-ending orthopedic injuries
And we’ve recovered millions in PD benefits and future medical awards.
✅ Get a Free Case Review Today
If you’ve reached Maximum Medical Improvement or received a low PD rating, don’t go it alone. Your future depends on getting this part right.
📞 Call us today or
📩 Click here to schedule a free consultation
We’ll review your case, your medical reports, and your potential rating — for free.
