A workers' compensation settlement is based on body parts in the Application for Adjudication. If a body part is being treated but not in the Application, the PD value for that part is zero — regardless of medical evidence.
The Application is filed early when the injury is first reported. Treatment evolves. The QME evaluates body parts added during treatment. Nobody checks whether the Application was amended.
One case
The QME report documented right shoulder treatment with a WPI of 12%. The Application listed lumbar spine only. The right shoulder — worth $30,000-$50,000 — was not in the Application.
A C&R was being prepared for $150,000. If signed without catching this, the applicant would have lost $30K-$50K permanently.