What is the rating for a 47 year old actor with a chemical burn to an upper extremity producing a cosmetic disfigurement resulting in a 5% WPI?

• A. 0%
• B. 5%
• C. 11%
• D. 13%

Answer: (D)

In California, the permanent disability rating is not just the raw impairment percentage. After determining whole person impairment, modifiers based on age and occupation are applied to reflect how the injury affects the worker’s earning capacity and employability.

Here, the base impairment from the cosmetic disfigurement of the upper extremity is 5% WPI. A 47-year-old actor falls into a bracket where age and the nature of the occupation add value to the rating, because cosmetic and functional impairments can have a greater impact on earnings in a performance-oriented job. These modifiers push the final permanent disability rating above the simple 5% impairment.

So, applying the age and occupation adjustments to the initial 5% WPI yields a final rating of 13%.