Successfully getting workers’ compensation requires getting a maximum medical improvement or MMI rating and a disability rating. The following situation should help to explain how this process works and what you can do if your disability compensation is too low.
An Injury Occurs at Work
When you are injured at work, you will be taken to a medical facility to get immediate treatment. During your care, your physician will gauge your improvement and do what they can to help you recover more fully. They’ll do everything within reasonable care capabilities to help in this way.
At a certain point, they’ll get to a situation in which it is not likely that you’ll improve anymore. For instance, they may find that your injury is so severe that complete recovery is not impossible. This issue often occurs in situations where an inability to move or work is called into play.
When a doctor reaches the point where they don’t think an individual can improve anymore and that they are as good as they will be as a person, they declare that a person has reached MMI. At this point, they’ll then create a disability rating for you that will help to give you compensation.
Getting a Disability Rating
After you have reached MMI, your attorney will get a written statement from the doctor to better gauge your level of compensation. This statement will also be sent to your employer and your compensation insurance firm to ensure that everyone is on the same page about your chances of recovery.
On that statement will be a disability rating that will dictate how much compensation that you receive. This compensation rating can include many factors. For example, they’ll state whether you are permanently or temporarily disabled and your chances of overcoming a temporary problem.
They’ll also rate your disability and its extent on your life, stating where you are limited, what kind of things you can do, and how this should affect your compensation. If you find that your rating is unfair or your payment not good enough, you may need to talk to a lawyer about this process.
Appealing a Disappointing Outcome
Is your disability rating disappointing, and you want more compensation? Then it is time to talk to a lawyer to learn more about your appeal. Your attorney will submit the proper paperwork and collect evidence that proves your MMI is too high and your disability is not fair for your needs.
For example, they can get another doctor to assess your current state and show that you’ve worsened since you reached MMI. Or they can use other evidence to show that your MMI was set too high or arbitrarily and that your disability is more debilitating than the courts realize.
After you appeal your outcome, the judge will either keep your current rating or give you a higher level of disability. In rare cases, your disability may be lowered if the judge believes you have recovered or are not as disabled as you claim. With a good lawyer, this risk is much lower, thankfully.
Don’t Let a Bad Rating Affect You
As you can see, MMI is a complex situation that you need to understand on every possible level. Doing so will help you make it easier for you to identify the high-quality help you need to get compensation for any injuries you’ve suffered at work.
So if your disability rating is too low for your needs and you are worried about limited compensation, it may be time to talk to an attorney. They’ll do what they can to help enhance your payment.