Tag Archives: Permanent partial disability awards


New 2020 Actuarial Tables Released On June 23, 2020, Go Into Effect On July 1, 2020.
By Jason Weinstock on June 26, 2020

In 2015 Attorney Virginia Hunt, along with a group of other claimant’s attorneys, determined that the Division of Industrial Relations (DIR) had been slacking on their statutory duties to update the actuarial annuity table used in the calculation of permanent partial disability (PPD) awards. It was determined that the actuary table being used had not … Continue reading New 2020 Actuarial Tables Released On June 23, 2020, Go Into Effect On July 1, 2020.

7 Useful Definitions for Understanding Your PPD Evaluation
By Jason Weinstock on December 21, 2015

In order to fully understand your Permanent Partial Disability evaluation, you need to know the meaning of a few of the important terms used by the rating doctors: AMA Guide to Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 5th Edition-   This is the book that the rating doctors in Nevada must use when determining the injured worker’s percentage … Continue reading 7 Useful Definitions for Understanding Your PPD Evaluation

Injured Workers’ Opinions Needed NOW!!
By Jason Weinstock on April 7, 2015

  As you know, I have been working with a group of dedicated workers’ comp attorneys to try to defeat some nasty bills that would significantly cut your benefits. Specifically, Assembly Bill 229 would require that rating doctors use the 6th edition of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairments instead of the … Continue reading Injured Workers’ Opinions Needed NOW!!


2015 Cost of Nevada PPD Exam
By Jason Weinstock on March 18, 2015

Effective 2/1/15 through 1/31/16, the cost of a permanent partial disability evaluation on a Nevada workers’ compensation claim is $754.62. That is for two body parts. The cervical spine is considered one body part, the thoracic spine another body part, and the lumbar spine would be a separate body part. For each additional body part … Continue reading 2015 Cost of Nevada PPD Exam

Rating for Sacroiliac Joint- Nevada PPD
By Jason Weinstock on December 26, 2014

I have had rating issues come up in the past on how to rate injuries to the sacroiliac joint, and fortunately I had two experienced rating doctors reason that they should be rated under the DRE categories for a low back injury. I say fortunately because some rating doctors would have taken the position that … Continue reading Rating for Sacroiliac Joint- Nevada PPD

Dr. Pirruccello Explains How to Rate Spinal Injuries
By Jason Weinstock on September 28, 2014

Virginia :  The primary purpose of my blog posts is to inform Nevada’s injured workers about the law and the claims process.  However, I occasionally like to offer my readers from the workers’ compensation industry a more detailed analysis of a current issue that requires a working familiarity with Nevada workers compensation claims.   The … Continue reading Dr. Pirruccello Explains How to Rate Spinal Injuries


What’s An Apportionment of Your PPD Award?
By Jason Weinstock on August 30, 2014

Forgive me for not explaining the word apportionment sooner in my past blog posts about permanent partial disability awards on Nevada workers’ compensation claims.   It’s a bad word, and it means subtraction from the percentage of impairment.  It the rating doctor writes in his report that he found you have a 10% whole body impairment, … Continue reading What’s An Apportionment of Your PPD Award?

Can I Hire a Lawyer after I Get My PPD Offer on My Nevada Claim?
By Jason Weinstock on February 23, 2014

  Can I Hire a Lawyer After I Get My PPD Rating?   Yes, you may.  Just make sure that you are getting experienced guidance and good value for paying an attorney fee at this late stage of the claim, and be aware that attorneys’ fees will differ from one attorney to the next on … Continue reading Can I Hire a Lawyer after I Get My PPD Offer on My Nevada Claim?

Quiz on Nevada Work Comp PPD Awards
By Jason Weinstock on February 18, 2014

  Test your knowledge of permanent partial disability awards on Nevada workers’ compensation claims with the following quiz.  I will post the answers next week with explanations. Have fun!  Quiz Time-  How Much Do You Know About PPD’s in Nevada? True  or  False?          Even if an injured worker has a surgery … Continue reading Quiz on Nevada Work Comp PPD Awards


Rating Physician Richard Kudrewicz Dies
By Jason Weinstock on December 7, 2013

The workers’ compensation community lost one of the most authoritative and fairest rating  physicians on November 30, 2013.  Richard Kudrewicz, M.D. , or Dr. K, as most of us called him, performed about ten times as many permanent partial disability evaluations on Nevada injured workers as most of the rating physicians on the DIR’s rotating … Continue reading Rating Physician Richard Kudrewicz Dies

What’s My Nevada Claim Worth?
By Jason Weinstock on November 22, 2013

     I looked at a very interesting award calculator devised by a Maryland attorney based on his review of thousands of work comp awards in Maryland. It asks the injured worker to put a number from 1 though 10 on the level of pain and interference with activities for their injury,r the average weekly … Continue reading What’s My Nevada Claim Worth?

Time Line for Permanent Partial Disability Awards
By Jason Weinstock on June 15, 2013

 30 days after your doctor says you are stable and ratable, your adjuster must send you a letter scheduling your PPD exam.  (The exam however, doesn’t have to take place within 30 days.)   NRS 616C.490(2). 14 days after your rating exam, the rating doctor should send the rating report to the adjuster. NRS 616C.490(6). 14 … Continue reading Time Line for Permanent Partial Disability Awards


Cost of Rating Exams Up Again: Get It Right the First Time
By Jason Weinstock on March 12, 2013

     Effective February 1, 2013, the Nevada fee schedule that governs health care providers under the Nevada workers’ compensation system, raised the PPD (permanent partial disability) reimbursement to $718.96.    If the rating physician is rating more than two body parts, he or she can charge an additional $240.11 for each additional body part.  For … Continue reading Cost of Rating Exams Up Again: Get It Right the First Time

Are Hernias Ratable?
By Jason Weinstock on January 19, 2013

 Inguinal hernias are common work-related injuries for men, often caused by increased abdominal pressure during heavy  lifting. According to the November/December 2012 AMA Guides Newsletter, men have a 27% lifetime risk of an inguinal hernia.  Genetics, overall body conditioning, and development of a person’s abdominal musculature have a lot to do with risk of a … Continue reading Are Hernias Ratable?

Will Accepting a PPD Award Affect My Job?
By Jason Weinstock on June 2, 2012

Question by an injured worker:  Will accepting a permanent partial disability (PPD)  award affect my job?    Answer:  It shouldn’t.  Having permanent work restrictions may affect your job, but your accepting a PPD award shouldn’t.   Here’s why.  PPD awards for injured workers with Nevada workers’ compensation claims are based on a combination of three … Continue reading Will Accepting a PPD Award Affect My Job?


Am I Entitled to a PPD Award If I’m Released Full Duty?
By Jason Weinstock on March 14, 2012

 Injured workers, employers, and even doctors on workers’ comp provider lists in Nevada remain confused about whether an injured worker who is able to return to work full duty is entitled to a permanent partial disability award.  Depending on the injury, an injured worker may be entitled to a rating evaluation and an award,  even … Continue reading Am I Entitled to a PPD Award If I’m Released Full Duty?

Should I Agree to the Insurer’s Rating Doctor?
By Jason Weinstock on March 6, 2012

If your treating physician on your accepted workers’ compensation claim in Nevada reports to your claims adjuster that you may have a ratable impairment, you should be scheduled for an impairment evaluation  30 days later.  This evaluation, also called a rating,  will be done by one of the 138 doctors and chiropractors who have been … Continue reading Should I Agree to the Insurer’s Rating Doctor?

Expensive to Obtain a Second Rating
By Jason Weinstock on January 30, 2012

 Each year the WCS Medical Unit of the Division of Industrial Relations (DIR) updates the Medical Fee Schedule that determines the fees for medical services, including impairment evaluations.  Effective February 1, 2012, the current 138 authorized rating doctors may charge $693.31 for up to two body parts.  $231.54  is chargeable for each  additional body part.  For example, an … Continue reading Expensive to Obtain a Second Rating


Terrible New Decision for Injured Workers on PPD Ratings
By Jason Weinstock on December 1, 2011

Just before Thanksgiving, the Nevada Supreme Court published a turkey of a decision that robs injured workers of disability award money.  In Public Agency Compensation Trust v. Blake, 127 Nev. Adv. Op. 77 (2011), the court invalidated a long-standing  DIR regulation that addressed how rating doctors are to account for a prior PPD award for a re … Continue reading Terrible New Decision for Injured Workers on PPD Ratings

Employers Misinformed About PPD Awards
By Jason Weinstock on April 6, 2011

The most recent edition of the local magazineNevada Business has incorrect information from a local insurance agency on how permanent partial disability awards (PPD) are determined under Nevada law.  The sidebar in the article states that  Nevada has workers’ compensation laws that are pro business and that favor the employer, and I agree with that overall observation.  However,  … Continue reading Employers Misinformed About PPD Awards

PPD Evaluations: Should You Have One?
By Jason Weinstock on February 16, 2011

There were 5,528 permanent partial disability ratings done in Nevada in fiscal year 2010, according to a recent email to me from the Medical Unit of the Workers’ Compensation Section (WCS) of DIR.  The Research and Analysis people at the WCS are not done compiling the data on the total number of claims filed for fiscal year 2010, but they … Continue reading PPD Evaluations: Should You Have One?


7 Steps to a Second PPD Rating
By Jason Weinstock on February 3, 2011

Click here to read my latest article on how to get a second rating evaluation when you think the PPD percentage offered by the rating doctor is wrong. Please note that this information is offered as general information and is not intended as legal advice as to your particular claim.  There may be options other … Continue reading 7 Steps to a Second PPD Rating

Cost Increase for PPD Evaluations
By Jason Weinstock on January 29, 2011

Effective February 1, 2011, the cost of a permanent partial disability evaluation and report will be $673.12.  The cost is set by the Division of Industrial Relations.  If more than two body parts are evaluated by the rater, an additional $224.80 is added.   This cost is the same regardless of whether it is the insurer … Continue reading Cost Increase for PPD Evaluations

Low Back Strain: Am I Entitled to a PPD Award?
By Jason Weinstock on January 11, 2011

Whether or not you are entitled to receive a permanent partial disability award for your  low back strain depends on the following three factors: 1. Whether your treating physician writes after your final visit that you may have a ratable impairment.  Your insurance adjuster will only schedule a rating exam if your treating physician checks a box on the physician progress … Continue reading Low Back Strain: Am I Entitled to a PPD Award?


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