Claims process
Impairment rating
An impairment rating is a physician's percentage assessment of permanent loss of function after maximum medical improvement, used mainly in workers' compensation to calculate the permanency award.
The percentage translates fairly directly into money under most state workers' compensation schedules, which is why ratings are frequently disputed.
A disputed rating usually means an independent medical examination and often a hearing, and both take months.
Related terms
- Maximum medical improvement — Maximum medical improvement, or MMI, is the point at which an injured person's condition has stabilized and is not expected to improve further with additional treatment.
- Workers' compensation — Workers' compensation is a state-run no-fault system paying medical costs and partial wage replacement for workplace injuries, in exchange for which employees generally cannot sue their employer directly.
- Independent medical examination — An independent medical examination, or IME, is an evaluation by a physician chosen and paid for by the insurer rather than by the injured person, used to assess injuries and the treatment claimed.
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