Functional Impairment Ratings Must Be Based on Comprehensive View of Evidence

The Kansas Court of Appeals ruled that a worker’s functional impairment rating cannot be exclusively based on the sixth edition of the American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, but must be based on a comprehensive view of competent medical evidence. "When establishing an impairment rating in a workers' compensation case for work injuries occurring after Jan. 1, 2015, the sixth edition of the guides is simply the statutorily required starting point," the court said. "The percentage arising from the use of the guides alone is b...