Impairment rating definition
Impairment rating means the percentage of permanent impairment of the whole body resulting from a compensable injury.
Impairment rating means “the percentage of permanent impairment of the whole body resulting from the current compensable injury.” 28 TEX. ADMIN. CODE § 130.1(c)(1). “An employee receives impairment income benefits according to the employee’s impairment rating . . . .” Rodriguez v. Service Lloyds Ins. Co., 997 S.W.2d 248, 253 (Tex. 1999). For an injured employee to obtain impairment benefits, a doctor must certify the employee has reached MMI and assign the employee an impairment rating. McWatt v. Mattax, 03-13-00332-CV, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 2504, at *3-4 n.5 (Tex. App.—Austin Mar. 18, 2015, no pet.) (mem. op.) (citing TEX. LAB. CODE ANN. § 408.123(a)).