After treatment reaches a stable point, a physician may assign a permanent-impairment percentage to an injured body part. The percentage can support a scheduled-benefit calculation, but it does not by itself decide work capacity, future treatment, settlement value, or every available disability remedy.

An impairment rating is a medical estimate of permanent loss; the Industrial Commission applies the statute, compensation rate, body-part schedule, and complete disability record to determine the legal benefit.

Identify what the physician actually rated

  • Accepted injury date, diagnosis, surgery, treatment, maximum-medical-improvement opinion, restrictions, prognosis, and future care
  • Exact body part or function, right or left side, measurements, testing, pain, weakness, motion, stability, sensation, dexterity, and other clinical findings
  • Rating percentage, date, provider, records reviewed, method or guide used, and whether the opinion is final or subject to later evaluation
  • Other accepted or disputed body parts, prior impairment, later injury, and whether several findings were combined rather than simply added

The Commission’s Rating Guide is guidance for physicians

The Industrial Commission’s Rating Guide distinguishes permanent physical impairment from the administrative and legal question of disability. It provides reference points for evaluating spine and extremity impairment while emphasizing that the examining physician’s final percentage should rest on the physician’s knowledge, experience, and clinical examination.

A disagreement should therefore identify the medical basis: missing records, incorrect body part, incomplete recovery, measurement method, unaddressed surgery, inconsistent findings, or another reason the percentage may not reflect the stable impairment. A different number without an explained basis may not resolve the issue.

Apply G.S. 97-31 to the correct body part

G.S. 97-31 assigns benefit periods to listed members, organs, disfigurement, and other covered losses. A simplified scheduled calculation uses the compensation rate, impairment percentage, and statutory weeks, but the body part, healing period, rating evidence, and any special subdivision must be confirmed.

  • Show the injury-year compensation rate and its source
  • Quote the applicable G.S. 97-31 subdivision and statutory weeks
  • Multiply the rate by the impairment percentage and weeks, showing every step
  • Account for payments already made, asserted credits, healing-period benefits, and any overlap with another benefit period
  • Separate scheduled indemnity from continuing medical compensation and from the terms of any full settlement

Review the benefit choice before signing Form 26A

The current Form 26A is an agreement for permanent partial disability. Read the injury description, rating, body part, weeks, rate, payment terms, and certifications. Confirm that the agreement matches the medical and payment record before signing.

A worker with a scheduled impairment may also have evidence relevant to total or partial wage-earning incapacity. The available remedy and timing depend on the facts and governing law, and overlapping compensation is not paid for the same period. A rating payment should not be treated as the only possible answer without reviewing actual earning capacity and current benefit status.

Preserve medical rights and later-change evidence

A Form 26A rating payment does not itself describe every future medical right. Keep the medical authorization, treatment recommendations, prescriptions, equipment, mileage, provider requests, denials, and Commission filings separate from the scheduled payment record.

G.S. 97-47 addresses review of an award based on a change in condition and contains timing provisions with stated exceptions. Calculate the period from the actual last payment and procedural history rather than relying on a general statement that every rating creates the same deadline.

The related North Carolina workers’ compensation calculation guide explains average weekly wage, compensation rate, total and partial disability, waiting period, and the broader benefit worksheet.

Rosensteel Fleishman Car Accident & Injury Lawyers provides information about working with a Charlotte workers’ compensation lawyer on an impairment rating or Form 26A. A review should compare the medical rating, statutory calculation, wage-earning record, and rights affected by the agreement.

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