No injury produces a bigger gap between expectation and schedule than the torn meniscus. The surgery is real, the recovery hurts, and then the rating comes back at 1%. Here is the honest arithmetic — and where meniscus cases actually grow. Figures computed by the engine.
What the surgery itself rates
The schedule rates meniscectomy as a diagnosis-based estimate (17.05.10.04) from the AMA lower-extremity values, converted on the LE ladder: a partial meniscectomy (2% LE) converts to 1% WPI; a total meniscectomy (7% LE) to 3% WPI. Engine-computed at the 2026 maximum, age 37–41:
| WPI | Clerical · 111 | Custodian · 340 | Carpenter · 380 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1% | 1% · $870 | 2% · $1,740 | 2% · $1,740 |
| 3% | 3% · $2,610 | 5% · $4,350 | 7% · $6,090 |
| 4% | 5% · $4,350 | 7% · $6,090 | 9% · $7,830 |
| 8% | 9% · $7,830 | 13% · $12,252.50 | 16% · $16,095 |
| 12% | 14% · $13,412.50 | 19% · $20,445 | 23% · $26,245 |
Those first two rows are the “why so low” answer nobody advertises. The rows below them are where real cases end up.
Where meniscus cases actually grow
The meniscus is the knee’s shock absorber; remove part of it and the joint wears. Cartilage-interval arthritis documented on standing films rates on its own line, ligament instability on another, lost motion on a third — each string combining on the CVC, which is how a “simple scope” becomes an 8–12% WPI knee worth five figures. The endgame path: a meniscus knee that deteriorates to arthroplasty moves to the knee-replacement schedule — sometimes years later, through the §5410 reopening window, which is a reason to think hard before a C&R closes a young worker’s knee.
What this table can’t tell you
TD through surgery and recovery is separate money on the payment clock, the medical award carries the re-tear and arthroscopy exposure, wages below the maximum scale the dollars down, and bilateral knees combine. The general knee page covers the non-meniscus paths: knee injury value. Companion pages: back · knee · shoulder · neck · hip · wrist · ankle · elbow · foot · hand · carpal tunnel · hearing · eye · amputation · fusion · knee replacement · rotator cuff · hip replacement · hernia · head injury · herniated disc · lungs · heart. Estimates for informational use; not legal or medical advice.
Rate your knee right here
Same engine as the tables above — pick your occupation and age, slide the WPI from the report, and carry it into the full calculator when you’re ready.