Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) benefits
Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) benefits are paid when a work injury or illness causes permanent impairment.
Iowa law creates a schedule of certain body parts or members, along with the number of weeks of benefits an employee would receive for a full loss of each member.
- After a medical evaluation confirms Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI), the treating physician assigns an impairment rating using the AMA Guides.
- PPD benefits for schedule body parts or member injuries are then calculated by multiplying the impairment rating by the number of weeks assigned for that schedule body part or member.
For injuries not listed in the schedule, benefits are paid out of 500 weeks of PPD benefits. The amount of PPD benefits to which the injured employee may be entitled to depends on numerous factors such as ability to return to work, amount of functional impairment rating assigned by the treating doctor, employee’s age, education and whether the injury impacted their earning capacity.
- If an employer offers work at the same or greater wage, an injured employee is only entitled to the functional impairment rating paid out of 500 weeks until termination from employment.
- PPD benefits are subject to minimum and maximum rate limits.