(864) 582-0416 If you’ve been seriously injured in a South Carolina workers’ compensation case, your doctor will almost certainly assess you with a permanent impairment rating. The best thing you can do long before that occurs is get advice from a workers’ compensation attorney, because so many things can go wrong for an injured employee in these cases. At Holland & Usry, our Spartanburg workers’ compensation attorney can explain how an impairment rating affects your final settlement and help protect you from being shortchanged by the insurance company.
If someone asks you to accept an impairment rating, it usually means they no longer consider the injury temporary. You may still be dealing with pain, stiffness, or limitations that affect how you work and move through daily life, even though treatment has slowed or stopped. At the same time, the insurance carrier may treat that rating as a final answer, which can leave you feeling unsure of what the number actually means or if it reflects your experience.
A workers’ compensation attorney who handles Spartanburg assessment of impairment ratings issues can help you approach this stage with clear expectations. Our legal guidance can help you understand how someone calculated the rating, whether they overlooked important medical details, and how that percentage may influence settlement discussions. Working with our private firm also helps reduce the risk of missed deadlines, incomplete records, or rushed decisions that can limit your options.
An impairment rating expresses a physician’s medical opinion as a percentage that reflects a permanent loss of function. Physicians often rely on the American Medical Association Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, along with exams, imaging, and treatment history. The rating captures lasting physical changes rather than short-term symptoms.
In South Carolina, where specific statutes govern injuries to specific body parts, impairment ratings are frequently at issue in workers’ compensation cases. South Carolina Code Annotated § 42-9-30 outlines how certain impairments are valued, which can make the assigned percentage especially important. In Spartanburg workers’ compensation cases, an impairment rating evaluation becomes part of settlement talks, even though it’s not the only factor the Commission considers.
Disputes over impairment ratings often depend on documentation rather than diagnosis. If your records do not fully reflect ongoing limitations, flare-ups, or future treatment needs, the rating can appear lower than expected. Timing is also important, as a provider who assigns a rating before you reach maximum medical improvement (MMI) may understate the injury’s true impact.
A lawyer reviewing Spartanburg impairment rating disputes can help you connect your medical records to these legal standards and protect your overall work injury claim. Steps that often strengthen an impairment rating review include:
Once we address those issues, we can connect them to factors such as future care needs and reduced earning capacity.
If you’re dealing with an impairment rating, you do not have to accept the first assigned percentage without question. A careful review of the medical evidence and applicable law can help you better understand how that number affects your case.
At Holland & Usry, we can help you evaluate whether the impairment rating fits the full picture of your injury and how it may influence your workers’ compensation claim. Call us for a FREE case review to learn about Spartanburg assessment of impairment ratings and the options available to you at this stage.
