Workers' comp settlements: the schedules, the formulas, the approval step

The short version

A workers' comp settlement closes some or all of a claim in exchange for a payment. Some settlements are paid at once, some over time. Some close future medical care and some leave it open. In most states a judge or the agency must approve the agreement before it is final.

So-called settlement charts are really the schedules written into state law: a number of weeks of benefits for the loss of use of a body part. We quote those schedules and cite them. Any example on these pages is labeled hypothetical. The value of a real case is a question for a lawyer who has read your file.

What this guide set answers

• 01

  What is a workers' comp settlement chart?

  The statutory schedules of weeks per body part, quoted and dated by state.

• 02

  How does a workers' comp settlement calculator work?

  The pieces states use, average weekly wage, rating and schedule weeks, with one example labeled hypothetical.

• 03

  What is a workers' comp settlement?

  Lump sum or structured, open or closed medical, and the approval step.

• 04

  When will workers' comp offer a settlement?

  The points in a claim where offers usually come up, such as maximum medical improvement.

• 05

  Does surgery change a workers' comp settlement?

  How a surgery can affect ratings and future medical care, without any amount.

• 06

  How do schedules treat a knee, back or shoulder injury?

  Injury explainers for the herniated disc, knee, and rotator cuff questions people ask most.

Each answer is general information about how the system works. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create a lawyer-client relationship. For your own claim, talk to a lawyer licensed in your state.