Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) Benefits

When an employee reaches maximum medical improvement (MMI), PPD benefits are payable on most cases and represent payment for your injury permanently affecting your ability to work. Georgia Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) Benefits have a maximum rate of $675 per week and are based on the body part and impairment rating given by the workers compensation doctor. The eligible weekly benefits vary from a percentage of 25 weeks for a little finger injury to a percentage of 300 weeks based on a whole body disability. The PPD payments do not compensate for any future medical care that may be necessary for the injured body part. Often you can resolve the PPD portion of your workers compensation case without resignation. The table below will show the number of eligible weeks for each injured body part allowed by Georgia Workers Compensation Law. Unfortunately, the percentage of impairment given by the workers compensation physician usually does not amount to much. A good Attorney, like the Attorneys at ReisLaw can hire a private doctor that will possibly issue a more fair rating, resulting in a higher PPD payment to the injured worker.

For Example: A worker is working at a processing plant and cuts a tendon in his index finger. He works 40 hours per week at $15 per hour or $600 per week. He goes through the long treatment and rehabilitation process and is released to work by the doctor with an impairment rating of 10% to his index finger. He is eligible for a payout of:

40 Weeks X 10% = 4 weeks X $400 = $1,600

His comp rate is 2/3 of his average weekly wage or $400. Once this is paid out an employer/insurer is often hesitant to settle the claim as most of the case value has been received. It is important to hire an Attorney like ReisLaw early in the case so it does not get to the point where most of the value of the case is lost.

This is usually paid out with a one time check but can be paid weekly.

Bodily Loss Maximum Weeks:

After it is determined how many weeks represent the injured body part, the assigned impairment rating will be a percentage between 0 and 100%. The impairment rating is multiplied by the maximum number of weeks for the given bodily loss to get the total number of weeks you will receive income benefits. For example, with a 15% permanent partial disability to an arm, multiply 15% times 225 weeks = 33.75 weeks. You will receive 33.75 weeks of income benefits.