You were injured on the job. At first, you hoped to make a full recovery, but, as time goes by, it becomes clear that it's not going to happen. Your body isn't fully healing and you still have serious physical challenges.
A permanent and stationary report, typically called a P&S report, is written out by your primary treating physician. It is typically created at the point when your condition has stabilized. You're not going to decline, in your doctor's opinion, but you may not ever get better. You have achieved maximal medical improvement, known as MMI, even though you're not back to the level of health you enjoyed before the injury.
As you can imagine, this report is very important concerning your rights to disability benefits and related compensation. It should include:
- Work limits or work restrictions. Can you do some work going forward or none at all?
- Specific medical issues you're still suffering from, such as a restriction of movement.
- Your pain level.
- What type of medical care you're expected to need going forward. Will you need more surgery in the future or do you need full-time care even at your house?
- If you can go back to your old job or not.
- The amount of that disability that can be traced back to your job and your workplace injury. This could be 100 percent, but there are cases where other factors play a large role.
This report essentially defines your medical condition so that you can make accurate claims about potential compensation and financial needs. Be sure you know how to utilize it and all of the legal steps you need to take.