Permanent disability is assessed after the condition stabilizes, using impairment ratings and functional capacity evaluation. Impairment measures anatomic loss while disability measures functional and vocational impact.
The two are distinct concepts frequently conflated.
Alternative Names:
Permanent Impairment|Lasting Disability
Why it Matters?
Impairment and disability are not equivalent, and a substantial impairment rating does not establish inability to work where the claimant's occupation does not require the impaired function. Vocational assessment linking impairment to actual occupational capacity is what bridges the gap, and its absence leaves an impairment rating doing work it cannot support. Functional capacity evaluations with validity measures test consistency of effort.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
How do impairment and disability differ?
What bridges the gap?
