The rotator cuff is the workhorse claim of every physical trade — the tear from the fall off the ladder, or the fraying from thirty years overhead. The schedule prices what’s left after repair: measured motion loss, adjusted hard for whether the job lives overhead. Every figure below is computed by the rating engine.
How cuff injuries are measured
Shoulders rate under 16.02.01.00 from range-of-motion deficits in flexion, abduction, and rotation, converted through the upper-extremity ladder. Rough anchors: a well-repaired cuff with mild restriction runs low single digits WPI; typical post-repair restriction lands high single digits to ~10%; significant combined loss or a failed repair reaches the low-to-mid teens. Strength loss and distal-clavicle resections add their own lines where ratable.
The money table
Final PD and total indemnity at age 37–41, 2026 injury, maximum PD rate, before apportionment:
| WPI | Clerical · 111 | Custodian · 340 | Carpenter · 380 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5% | 5% · $4,350 | 7% · $6,090 | 10% · $8,772.50 |
| 8% | 9% · $7,830 | 11% · $9,932.50 | 14% · $13,412.50 |
| 10% | 11% · $9,932.50 | 14% · $13,412.50 | 18% · $18,995 |
| 13% | 15% · $14,645 | 18% · $18,995 | 22% · $24,795 |
The trades’ column runs nearly double the desk’s — the overhead premium. The broader shoulder spectrum (dislocations, AC joint, labrum) is priced on the shoulder-injury page; a cuff that goes unrepaired into weakness territory rates from strength loss as well as motion.
The arc that decides the rating
Cuff cases follow a script: MRI → repair → post-op plateau → P&S measurements. The rating turns on that last step, which makes physical-therapy compliance and the QME’s goniometer readings the leverage points. Expect apportionment argument over degenerative fraying on the MRI report — the radiologist’s “chronic tendinosis” line is worth real money to the defense — and remember the biceps tendon and AC joint combine when separately rated.
What this table can’t tell you
Wages below the maximum scale the dollars down, re-tear exposure belongs in the medical award, and permanent overhead restrictions shape settlement past the schedule. Companion pages: back · knee · shoulder · neck · hip · wrist · ankle · elbow · foot · hand · carpal tunnel · hearing · eye · amputation · fusion · knee replacement. Estimates for informational use; not legal or medical advice.
Rate your shoulder 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.