An injured worker may report problems beyond the body part first identified in the claim. Those additional problems can matter, but reporting a condition does not automatically make it compensable or create a separate permanent disability rating. As with most issues with workers compensation in California, medical evidence is the driving factor.
California terminology
California statutes and DWC materials commonly refer to an injury, injured body part, specific injury, cumulative injury, and conditions caused by work. Claimants and practitioners may also use phrases such as consequential or compensable-consequence injury. Whatever label is used, industrial causation and medical evidence remain important.
Specific and cumulative injuries
A specific injury results from one incident or exposure. A cumulative injury results from repetitive mentally or physically traumatic activities over time.
Additional orthopedic body parts
A worker may develop symptoms in another body part after changing how they walk, lift, reach, or perform other activities because of the original injury. Whether that additional body part is accepted as industrial is a claim-specific medical and legal question.
Non-orthopedic conditions
Psychiatric symptoms, sleep disturbance, GI or digestive conditions, headaches, chronic pain, CRPS, hypertension, cardiovascular conditions, neurological complaints, and other alleged consequences require condition-specific medical evidence and industrial causation. They do not automatically produce a separate impairment or fixed settlement increment. They are usually addressed by a doctor that specializes in that discipline .
Special caution for psychiatric, sleep, and sexual-dysfunction ratings
For post-2012 injuries, California generally restricts increases in impairment ratings for sleep dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, and psychiatric disorder arising out of a compensable physical injury, subject to statutory exceptions for certain psychiatric injuries. Treatment for those conditions is not barred by that rating restriction.
Multiple impairments
When more than one impairment is ratable, California’s permanent disability schedule uses prescribed combination methods and seeks to avoid duplicative impairment. Percentages generally should not simply be added together.