A 47 year old actor has a chemical burn to an upper extremity producing a cosmetic disfigurement resulting in a 5% WPI. What is the rating?

A 47 year old actor has a chemical burn to an upper extremity producing a cosmetic disfigurement resulting in a 5% WPI. What is the rating?

• A. 0%
• B. 5%
• C. 11%
• D. 13%

Answer: (D)

In California workers’ comp, permanent impairment combines what the body is actually impaired at (Whole Person Impairment, or WPI) with any visible cosmetic disfigurement. The total impairment to the whole person is the sum of the WPI and the disfigurement rating. Here, the wound impairment is 5% WPI. The cosmetic disfigurement from the upper extremity adds 8% on the disfigurement scale. Adding those together gives a final impairment rating of 13%. So the correct total rating is 13%.

In California workers’ comp, permanent impairment combines what the body is actually impaired at (Whole Person Impairment, or WPI) with any visible cosmetic disfigurement. The total impairment to the whole person is the sum of the WPI and the disfigurement rating. Here, the wound impairment is 5% WPI. The cosmetic disfigurement from the upper extremity adds 8% on the disfigurement scale. Adding those together gives a final impairment rating of 13%. So the correct total rating is 13%.