Question: Is there any formula to convert an impairment rating whole person percentage, with the assistance of a job description, to a percentage of disability?
Answer: No. Impairment and disability are different concepts. The Guides Sixth explain in Section 1.3d, Operational Definitions: Impairment, Disability, Handicap (6th ed, 5–6): “The relationship between impairment and disability remains both complex and difficult, if not impossible, to predict. In some conditions there is a strong association between level of injury and the degree of functional loss expected in one's personal sphere of activity (mobility and ADLs). The same level of injury is in no way predictive of an affected individual's ability to participate in major life functions (including work) when appropriate motivation, technology, and sufficient accommodations are available. Disability may be influenced by physical, psychological, and psychosocial factors that can change over...
