If you sustained an injury on the job in Minnesota that results in a body part or function, you may rightfully assume this will lead to permanent partial disability. In fact, the State of Minnesota has decided what percentage of disability you sustain per body part or function lost.
It is not necessarily straightforward, though. Each is figured using a complex system for determining how much damage the body part or function has sustained.
Eyes
Going completely blind can have a devastating impact on your ability to function. If you lose all sight in both eyes, your disability would be 85 percent. For the loss of just one eye, your disability would be 24 percent of your whole body. If the injury results in a condition that may improve over time, the final determination in how much the disability percentage will be may not be made until at least one year after the inflammation disappears. You would be tested while wearing corrective lenses.
Ears
If you have lost all your hearing, you would be considered 35 percent disabled, while if your hearing has sustained a 50 percent loss, your whole body disability would be 18 percent. The final evaluation would typically occur three months or more after the date when you sustained the noise injury.
Limbs and extremities
Your arms are measured from the shoulder blade and collar bone down to the finger. If the amputation includes the shoulder blade and collar bone, your disability of the whole body is 70 percent. The percentage decreases from there, but even the loss of the tip of your little finger would result in a 0.5 percent disability. Losing your leg would put you at a 40 percent disability of the whole body, while your little toe is 1 percent.
Each situation is unique and must be evaluated as such, even though the techniques for measurement are predetermined. Therefore, this information should not be interpreted as medical or legal advice.
