Minnesota PPD
PPD
Used to determine which PPD schedule applies and filter date-specific endpoints.
Select body system
How permanent partial disability (PPD) dollars are calculated
A physician assigns an impairment rating (a percentage of the whole body) under Minnesota’s PPD schedule, Minn. R. ch. 5223. This is its own system — not the AMA Guides or a general medical impairment opinion — and everyone is bound by the rules.
That percentage is multiplied by the dollar amount in the statutory tier for your rating. The tiers are progressive, so a higher rating is worth more per percentage point.
PPD is generally paid after your wage-loss (TTD) benefits stop — either weekly at your TTD rate with no reduction, or as a lump sum discounted by 5%.
The dollar table depends on your date of injury. 2026 Chapter 103 raised every multiplier for injuries on or after October 1, 2026, so the same rating converts to a different dollar amount depending on when you were hurt.
Worked example
For a date of injury before 10/1/2026, a 5% rating uses the $114,260 tier: 5% × $114,260 = $5,713. For an injury on or after 10/1/2026, the 5% tier is $137,240: 5% × $137,240 = $6,862. If a rating is later raised, you are paid the value of the higher rating minus the value already paid — not just the extra percentage at the lowest tier.
When to call
Use your result as a screen. Most claims that are on track do not need a lawyer; the ones that are off track usually do.
Green — may be on track
Your rating and dollar figure match the schedule for your injury date. Save it — PPD is paid after your wage-loss benefits end.
Yellow — worth watching
Your rating may be incomplete (multiple body parts or ratable conditions not yet rated), or it came from an IME. Check it against your treating doctor and watch for additional permanency.
Red — good reason to call
The insurer paid PPD off an outdated table, your rating looks too low for your condition, or a rating increase was valued at the lowest tier instead of as the difference. Call.
Frequently asked questions
- When does PPD get paid in Minnesota?
- Not until your wage-loss (TTD) benefits stop — that is the law. Once TTD ends, PPD is paid either weekly at your TTD rate or as a lump sum. So PPD generally does not arrive while you are still collecting TTD.
- Do I have to reach maximum medical improvement (MMI) before I can get a PPD rating?
- Not always. A rating must be given when it becomes ascertainable, and that can happen before MMI as a preliminary or minimal rating — it just has to be provided no later than MMI. You do not always have to wait until you are at MMI to get the process moving.
- What is a Weber rating, and what if my injury is not in the PPD schedule?
- If your permanent injury is not specifically listed in Minnesota’s PPD schedule, you are not automatically left with zero. Under the Weber case, the doctor assigns a rating by analogy to the most similar listed condition, so a real, unscheduled permanent injury can still be compensated. It takes a doctor willing to explain the comparison.
- Why is my Minnesota PPD rating different from what my doctor or the AMA Guides would say?
- Because Minnesota workers’ comp PPD is its own system, defined by Minn. R. ch. 5223 — not the AMA Guides or a general medical impairment number. Everyone is bound by those rules. Your injury is not "special"; it gets rated under the schedule like everyone else’s.
- Can one injury be rated under more than one rule?
- Yes. The same condition can carry ratings under more than one rule, and the schedule tells you when to add them and when to combine them. The math gets confusing fast, which is exactly why it is worth checking carefully — small errors here move real money.
- My PPD rating went up (say from 7% to 10%) — how much more money do I get?
- You get the dollar value of the 10% rating minus the dollar value of the 7% you were already paid — not just 3% at the lowest tier’s rate. Because the dollar tiers are progressive, a higher rating is worth more per point, so the increase is usually larger than a naive "3% more." Calculate the full value at each rating and subtract.
- How do I get my doctor to assign a PPD rating?
- The Health Care Provider Report (HCPR) is the form used to ask your doctor for the rating. It is formally requested by the insurer or employer, but you (or your attorney) can also bring it to your appointment or send it to your doctor to get the rating going. Providers are required to give the rating when it is ascertainable and generally are not paid extra for completing the required form.
- How do I know my rating uses the right rules for my date of injury?
- Minnesota has changed its PPD schedules over the years, and you must be rated under the schedule for your date of injury. Injuries from January 1, 1984 through June 30, 1993 use the older rules (5223.0010–.0250); injuries on or after July 1, 1993 use 5223.0300–.0650. Make sure your rating cites the schedule that matches your injury date, not an outdated one (unless the older schedule genuinely applies to you).
- If I accept a PPD payment, am I stuck with that rating?
- No. Accepting payment on the rating you were given does not commit you to it. Take the money you are owed and keep fighting for a higher rating if one is warranted. Turning down money that is already yours helps no one — you can cash it and still dispute the number.
- Should I trust the PPD rating in an IME report?
- Be skeptical, even when the IME is mostly favorable. An insurer-arranged exam is not the last word on your permanency. Always run an IME’s PPD rating past your own treating doctor before you accept it.
- Is a PPD rating the same as permanent work restrictions?
- No — they are different things. You can have permanent work restrictions with little or no PPD rating, or a PPD rating with few restrictions. One does not prove the other, and they affect your claim in different ways.
- Does every permanent injury get a PPD rating?
- No. Not every lasting injury carries a rating under the schedule. A permanent problem does not guarantee PPD dollars — though it can still matter for other benefits and restrictions.
- Why does my PPD rating seem so low?
- Honestly, PPD ratings are often smaller than people expect, and they rarely feel like they make up for what you went through. That is the nature of a fixed schedule — it is a set formula, not a measure of your pain or how much your life changed. It is still money you are owed, so make sure the rating itself is correct.
- I was already paid PPD for this body part years ago — what happens if it is rated higher now?
- A prior PPD payment to the same body part is generally credited against a later, higher rating, so you would typically be paid the difference. For example, an old 3% knee rating is credited against a later 8% rating after a knee replacement, and you receive the value of the difference. A genuinely new injury — including a different level of the spine — can be its own separate rating rather than just an increase.
- Can I take PPD as a lump sum, and is it reduced?
- You have a choice. Paid weekly at your TTD rate, PPD is not reduced. Taken as a lump sum, it is discounted by 5% in exchange for getting all the money now. Weekly avoids the 5% haircut; a lump sum trades that 5% for the cash up front.
- The insurer filed a NOID to stop my TTD — what should I do about PPD?
- First, call a lawyer — a discontinuance is exactly when good advice pays for itself. Second, if you know a PPD rating is coming, ask the adjuster to start paying your PPD in weekly installments right away. That can keep money coming in during the gap when your TTD is being discontinued.