Fusion is where back claims get expensive — the surgery that converts a disc case into DRE category IV or V, and the clearest illustration in the whole schedule of the occupational variant working in reverse: the desk job rates lowest. A fused spine is priced as a lifting problem, not a sitting problem. Every figure below is computed by the rating engine.
Where fusions land on the schedule
Lumbar spine cases rate under 15.03.01.00 on the DRE method: single-level fusion with a solid result commonly lands in category IV (20–23% WPI); multi-level constructs, residual radiculopathy, or documented instability push to category V (25–28% WPI). Cervical fusions run the parallel 15.01 ladder. The WPI is the doctor’s call — everything after it is arithmetic the engine runs.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20% | 21% · $23,345 | 31% · $40,020 | 34% · $46,110 |
| 23% | 25% · $29,217.50 | 35% · $48,140 | 38% · $54,230 |
| 25% | 27% · $32,697.50 | 38% · $54,230 | 41% · $60,320 |
| 28% | 31% · $40,020 | 42% · $62,350 | 45% · $68,440 |
Read the spread: at DRE V the carpenter’s fusion is worth $28,420 more than the clerk’s on identical medicine — the mirror image of the hearing and vision pages, and the same lesson as the occupation guide: the variant prices what the injury takes from that job.
Beyond the PD
Fusion claims carry long tails: TD through the surgical recovery (often a year-plus against the §4656 cap), a medical award holding hardware-revision and adjacent-segment exposure for life, and — where the result fails — reopening within the §5410 five-year window (run it on the deadline calculator). Apportionment to degenerative findings is the standard defense lever in every fusion case.
What this table can’t tell you
Wages below the maximum scale the dollars down, radiculopathy and bladder/bowel findings add impairment, and cervical + lumbar levels combine on the CVC. Companion pages: back · knee · shoulder · neck · hip · wrist · ankle · elbow · foot · hand · carpal tunnel · hearing · eye · amputation · knee replacement · rotator cuff. Estimates for informational use; not legal or medical advice.
Rate your spine 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.