What is the rating for a 30 year old heavy furniture assembler with a soft tissue injury to the cervical spine causing a loss of range of motion resulting in an 8% impairment standard?

• A. 9%
• B. 11%
• C. 15%
• D. 19%

Answer: (C)

The concept being tested is how an impairment rating for a cervical spine injury is derived from a loss of range of motion. In California workers’ compensation calculations, a cervical ROM loss from a soft tissue injury is first expressed as a ROM impairment percentage, then mapped to a whole-person impairment (WPI) using AMA Guides tables. Here, an 8% ROM impairment for the cervical spine corresponds to 15% WPI according to the standard mapping. The worker’s age (30) and their occupation (heavy furniture assembler) don’t change the impairment percentage itself; age can influence later steps in determining permanent disability but not the initial impairment rating. So the best-supported rating for this scenario is 15%.