Recently, we received a phone call regarding an injured worker in Thomaston, Georgia. He was treated at Upson Regional Medical Center and then he was left on his own for medical treatment. The hurt worker (more…)
medical exam
What is Compensation for Permanent Partial Disability (PPD)?
The law defines PPD as a disability partial in character but permanent in quality resulting in a loss or loss of use of body members or from the partial loss of use of the injured employee’s body. In other words, the PPD rating is a medical assessment as to whether the work injury permanently affected the injured worker’s range of motion or overall body functioning. Generally, the PPD rating is issued by the authorized treating physician after the injured employee reaches “maximum medical improvement” where the employee is “about as good as he or she is going to get.” The physician will make the determination of the PPD rating by using the American Medical Associations’ Guide to Impairment. This rating will be issued in percentage compared to overall functioning.
Georgia’s Workers’ Compensation Act provides compensation in relation to the physician’s impairment assessment. This table is found in O.C.G.A. §34-9-263 or on our website. In certain circumstances, doctors may disagree as to the ratings and they can differ. Also, you may have the option of seeking a second opinion. If you have any questions about the PPD rating, please contact me at 404-355-3431.
Georgia’s Injured Employees and Workers’ Compensation
Generally, when an employee is injured in Atlanta or any other city in Georgia, the employee may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. These benefits are primarily made up of medical treatment as it relates to the work injury and income benefits to a certain point.
In most cases, the Employer may (more…)
My doctor considers my injuries disabling, another doctor does not, who has the final say?
In many situations, an employer and an employee will present conflicting testimony and evidence. For example, an employee’s treating physician might classify an employee’s injury as disabling and catastrophic. The employee will never to be able to work again. While a doctor for (more…)