Benefits and Earnings Losses for Permanently Disabled Workers in California

by Michael Dworsky

"In 2013, California began implementation of major reforms to the state workers' compensation system that were enacted in 2012 as part of Senate Bill 863 (SB863). These reforms included several changes to Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) benefits. This report provides early evidence on how these reforms have affected disability ratings and benefits and compares PPD benefits to the earnings losses experienced by permanently disabled workers. Because SB863 changed benefits in part by modifying the disability rating system, we also evaluate the impact of these changes on the equity of PPD...