I injured my back on the job and my doctor said that there was no need to receive surgery. I was sent to get an impairment rating and I received a rating of 5%. How much money am I entitled to receive with a 5% rating?
The 5% rating refers to the difference in earning ability before the injury and earning ability after the injury. With a 5% rating, you are expected to be able to earn 5% less than before the injury at the same job or similar job. Depending on whether this is a permanent partial disability or a temporary partial disabilty rating, the number of weeks for which you are entitled to receive benefits varies; the maximum number of weeks is 450. I didn't find any loss of body part(s) that went the full 450 weeks; so, I would expect your eligibility limit to be much less. The maximum weekly wage allowed was $361, if I recall the information correctly, and that is for loss of full time wages, not for 5% of wages. It is possible that you are looking at a total compensation for the 5% rating somewhere around $1800 (based on 100 weeks eligibility).
A consultation with a WC attorney is a good idea. Mississippi allows the attorney to collect up to 25% of any payment that you receive if the attorney represents you in your WC claim. The attorney could probably provide you with a fairly exact computation of the amount of benefits that you will receive.
EC
