A knee injury with no objective disability or work restrictions but a long leg brace is prescribed. What is the standard rating for the knee?

• A. 10 percent
• B. 40 percent
• C. 15 percent
• D. 25 percent

Answer: (B)

In California’s impairment rating system, the amount of permanent impairment assigned to a body part isn’t determined solely by documented disability or current work restrictions. It’s based on the level of permanent impairment of the knee itself. If a knee injury requires a long leg brace, that brace signals a substantial, ongoing limitation of knee function. The rating schedule uses this as a marker of significant impairment, and the standard rating for the knee in this situation is 40 percent of the whole person. So, even when there are no objective disability findings or work restrictions noted, the need for a long leg brace reflects a level of impairment that the schedule assigns as 40 percent. Lesser impairment levels would only apply if the knee’s loss of function were milder and didn’t necessitate such a brace.