The cervical spine rates exactly like its lumbar sibling — DRE categories with fixed WPI anchors — but necks travel with different disputes: radiating arm symptoms, headaches, and the shoulder overlap. The money math from any WPI is fixed, and this page computes it across the realistic range with the rating engine.
How neck injuries are measured
Physicians rate the cervical spine under the DRE method (impairment number 15.01.01.00): category II (5–8% WPI — guarding, asymmetric motion), category III (10–13% — verifiable radiculopathy), category IV (20–23% — fusion or lost motion-segment integrity), category V (25–28% — both). The category is the physician’s call; everything after it is arithmetic.
The money table
Final PD and total indemnity at age 42–46, 2026 injury, maximum PD rate ($290/week), single impairment, before apportionment:
| WPI | Clerical · 111 | Custodian · 340 | Carpenter · 380 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5% (cat. II floor) | 5% · $4,350 | 9% · $7,830 | 11% · $9,932.50 |
| 8% (cat. II top) | 8% · $6,960 | 14% · $13,412.50 | 15% · $14,645 |
| 10% (cat. III floor) | 11% · $9,932.50 | 17% · $17,545 | 19% · $20,445 |
| 13% (cat. III top) | 14% · $13,412.50 | 21% · $23,345 | 23% · $26,245 |
| 20% (cat. IV floor) | 22% · $24,795 | 33% · $44,080 | 36% · $50,170 |
| 25% (cat. V floor) | 29% · $36,177.50 | 40% · $58,290 | 43% · $64,380 |
Same WPI, different jobs — here is 13% WPI as the DEU would write it:
Paste either into the rating-string decoder to verify every step against the schedule.
Apportionment: the degeneration discount
Unapportioned, that rating was 36% PD — $50,170. One sentence in the report removed $20,952.50; see how apportionment works.
What this table can’t tell you
Necks travel with shoulders and headaches — additional impairments combine on the CVC rather than add. Below-maximum wages scale the dollars down, and settlements price future medical beyond any table. Companion pages: back · knee · shoulder · hip · wrist · ankle. Estimates for informational use; not legal or medical advice.