I have sustained an on-the-job injury to my fingers. How is the Department supposed to rate disability?

Q: My left hand was crushed when a pallet fell on it at work. Treatment is concluded, and the Department recently issued an order closing my claim and paying me a percentage of impairment for the two fingers that had to be amputated. The rating appears to be small. How are they supposed to rate disability?

A: When an injury is limited to the fingers, the hand, or the arm, the American Medical Association has a guide that is published to assist in evaluating the permanent partial disability. The rating is made in terms of “amputation value”. This means the value in relationship to the overall loss of function of the part of the body affected. Learn more about workers’ compensation claims.