What is the standard rating for moderate to severe pain?

• A. 60%
• B. 50%
• C. 75%
• D. 25%

Answer: (B)

Pain severity is a major driver of impairment ratings in California workers’ compensation evaluations. When pain is moderate to severe, it is typically assigned a standard impairment value that reflects substantial functional limitation, even if other objective findings are not present. The agreed baseline in many SIP contexts is a 50% whole-person impairment for moderate to severe pain, which provides a consistent benchmark for how much function is affected by pain itself. This helps ensure that the impact of pain on work ability isn’t understated or overstated in isolation from other findings. Higher values like 60% or 75% would imply a greater overall impairment than is typically assigned for moderate to severe pain without additional major objective deficits, while a 25% rating would underrepresent the impact. So, the 50% figure best captures the intended level of impairment associated with moderate to severe pain.