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Understanding Permanent Partial Disability (PPD)

How your Permanent Partial Disability award is calculated under Nevada statutes and regulations.

When an on-the-job injury inflicts permanent damage that limits your bodily functions, you are evaluated for a PPD rating after reaching Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI).

The AMA Guides Evaluation

Nevada mandates using the American Medical Association (AMA) Guides to Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 5th Edition, for the Evaluation of Permanent Partial Disabilities. A specialized panel physician evaluates your range of motion, structural changes, and nerve damage to issue a raw percentage rating. Rating doctors are chiropractors and physicians who have taken a test on how to determine permanent impairment using the criteria in the AMA Guides.

The Three Factors of Value Calculation

• Your Impairment Percentage: Higher calculated bodily percentages scale up the statutory award amount.
• Average Monthly Wage: Financial benefits are relative to your historical gross income. Average Monthly Wage (AMW) is calculated using your pre-accident earnings and is subject to maximum caps set by statute.
• Age Metric Adjustments: Actuarial tables factor your age to scale compensation adjustments across your expected working lifecycle.

Because minor mathematical deviations inside evaluation sheets heavily alter compensation totals, having an expert verify calculations is essential before accepting your official administrative award.