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Permanent Partial Disability (PPD)
The Workers' Compensation Act defines permanent partial disability as:
- The complete or partial loss of a part of the body;
- The complete or partial loss of use of a part of the body; or
- The partial loss of use of the body as a whole.
"Loss of use" is not specifically defined in the Act, but it generally means that you, the employee, suffered some permanent physical loss.
A PPD determination is made only after you have finished his medical treatment, or when you have reached what doctors call "maximum medical improvement."
Permanent partial disability benefits can take the following forms:
- A lump-sum payment based on a schedule, as set forth in the Act, which sets a value on certain body parts. The schedule is expressed as a number of weeks of compensation that each body part is worth.
- A payment based on injuries to non-schedule body parts that reduce the functioning of the person as a whole.
- A wage differential based on the difference between your income before and after the injury.
- A payment based on serious, permanent and visible disfigurement, the degree of which is determined after scars heal for at least six months. Disfigurement benefits are available if you have suffered permanent scarring to your head, face, neck, chest above the armpits, arm, hand, or leg below the knee.
The formulas used to calculate these benefits are complicated. The level of disability is evaluated on a subjective, case-by-case basis.
If you or a member of your family has been injured in a work-related accident, we can help. Contact the experienced workers' compensation attorneys at Drake & Collopy, P.C. online or call us at 312.345.0220, or toll free at 1.888.372.5355, for more information or to schedule a free consultation.
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