THE GUZMAN CASE- A Breakthrough In The Use Of The American Medical Association Guides
By Lawrence Silver, Esq.
The 2004 reform of Workers’ Compensation mandated the use of the American Medical Association Guides, which reduced permanent disability on average by fifty percent.
The Guzman case allows the doctor, where appropriate, to state that when the strict interpretation of the Guides is not the most accurate way to describe impairment in activities of daily living, better, more accurate descriptions or analogies contained within the four corners of the Guides can be used. This is a major breakthrough for injured workers.
In most cases, only a creative attorney who is a workers’ compensation specialist can use this new powerful approach to obtain a more accurate permanent disability rating.
