QUESTION: Are the multiple impairments added or combined for a patient with multiple peripheral nerve impairments in a lower extremity (LE) injury according to the American Medical Association (AMA) Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides), Sixth Edition Does it automatically mean that the cited ratings should be added simply because the impairments are listed in the same rating chart May a peripheral nerve impairment be combined with a diagnosis-based impairment
ANSWER: Multiple peripheral nerve injuries of the LE are combined as LE impairments.
In “Steps in Determining Impairment” in Section 16.2, Diagnosis-Based Impairment (6th ed, 499), of the AMA Guides, Sixth Edition, item six instructs the following: “Combine lower extremity percentages using the Combined Values Chart in the same extremity as appropriate. If both lower extremities are involved, convert impairments to whole person...
