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Injured workers should attend their scheduled permanent partial disability exam whether or not additional treatment may be needed. Failing to attend a PPD exam when additional medical treatment is necessary may result in a loss of benefits.
The Importance of PPD Rating Exams
Nevada workers’ compensation insurance covers employees for most job-related injuries and occupational illnesses and/or diseases. When workplace accidents and injuries occur, many workers are eligible for permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits which begin after a worker has reached “maximum medical improvement” and has suffered a “ratable impairment”. PPD awards are commonly granted in industrial injury cases but are not automatic.
PPD payments are paid to injured workers who sustain permanent injuries or impairments but are still able to perform work in some capacity. Nevada uses PPD rating exams to determine the amount of monetary compensation a worker will receive for permanent injuries or impairments caused by work-related injuries and/or occupational diseases. Whether it’s a new claim or reopen a claim, a worker must comply with all PPD exam requirements to receive benefits. In Nevada, PPD ratings must be established by a licensed physician or chiropractor on a list that’s controlled by the Nevada Division of Industrial Relations (DIR). The exam must indicate that a worker is in a “stable and ratable” condition, meaning that he/she has reached maximum medical improvement and that his/her injury or disease is medically stable.
If a worker disagrees with a PPD evaluation, he/she may request a second evaluation from another physician on the DIR’s rotating physician list.