These Terms of Service (“Terms”) are a binding agreement between you and RateString (“RateString,” “we,” “us”) governing your access to and use of the RateString website, calculator, and related software and services (collectively, the “Service”). By creating an account, clicking to accept, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you are using the Service on behalf of a firm or organization, you represent that you are authorized to bind it, and “you” includes that organization.
RateString is software that estimates California workers’ compensation permanent-disability (PD) ratings under the 2005 Permanent Disability Rating Schedule (PDRS) as modified by SB 863. It converts physician impairment values into a rating string, applies occupational and age adjustments, the Combined Values Chart, and statutory indemnity calculations, and produces estimates, comparisons, and exhibits. The Service is a computational and document tool only.
You must be at least 18 years old and capable of forming a binding contract. The Service is intended for use by legal, claims, and rating professionals (including attorneys, adjusters, hearing representatives, and raters) in connection with lawful workers’ compensation matters. You are solely responsible for determining whether the Service is appropriate for a given matter and for independently verifying every result.
Certain features require an account. You agree to provide accurate information, to keep your credentials confidential, and to be responsible for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us promptly at [email protected] of any unauthorized use. We may suspend or terminate accounts that we reasonably believe have been compromised or used in violation of these Terms.
Firm plans allow multiple users (“seats”) to share a common claim library under one or more administrators. Administrators can invite and remove members, assign roles, manage seats and billing, and access cases saved to the shared library. If you join a firm account, the firm’s administrators control access to, and may view, manage, or delete, cases and content within that account. You are responsible for your firm’s internal authorization and for ensuring members’ use complies with these Terms.
The on-screen calculator is free, and free accounts may save a limited number of ratings. Paid plans (Pro and Firm) unlock the unlimited claim library, multi-report tracking, scenario comparison, and exhibit export. Firm is billed per seat with a three-seat minimum. Paid plans are billed in advance on a recurring basis (monthly or, where selected, annually) and renew automatically until cancelled. You authorize us and our payment processor to charge your payment method for each renewal at the then-current rate. We may change prices on prospective renewals with reasonable notice.
You may cancel at any time from your account settings. Cancellation stops future renewals; your paid access continues through the end of the current billing period, after which the account reverts to Free and saved cases become read-locked but are not deleted. Except where required by law, fees already paid are non-refundable, and partial periods are not refunded or prorated.
You retain all rights to the case data, claimant information, and other content you submit (“Your Content”). You grant us a limited license to host, process, transmit, and display Your Content solely to operate and provide the Service to you. You are responsible for the accuracy and lawfulness of Your Content and for having the necessary rights and authority to submit it, including any claimant medical or personal information.
You agree not to: use the Service for any unlawful purpose; reverse engineer, scrape, or attempt to extract the underlying rating tables or source except as permitted by law; resell, sublicense, or provide the Service to third parties outside your authorized seats; upload malicious code; or use the Service to infringe others’ rights or to harass any person. We may suspend access for conduct that threatens the Service or other users.
The Service, including its software, interface, rating engine, compiled reference data, and brand, is owned by RateString and protected by intellectual-property laws. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the Service in accordance with these Terms. Statutory schedules, the Labor Code, and other public materials are public domain; our particular implementation, presentation, and software are not.
RateString is software, not a law firm, and does not provide legal, medical, or professional advice. Use of the Service does not create an attorney–client relationship. Estimates produced by the Service are not a determination of disability and do not substitute for the rating issued by the Division of Workers’ Compensation Disability Evaluation Unit (DEU) or for independent professional judgment.
THE SERVICE AND ALL OUTPUT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. We do not warrant that estimates will be correct, complete, current, or accepted by any tribunal, or that the Service will be uninterrupted or error-free.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, RATESTRING AND ITS SUPPLIERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR ANY ESTIMATE. OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID US FOR THE SERVICE IN THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM OR ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100).
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless RateString from claims, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of Your Content, your use of the Service, your reliance on any estimate, or your violation of these Terms or applicable law.
We may modify or discontinue features at any time. We may update these Terms from time to time; material changes will be posted here with an updated effective date and, where appropriate, additional notice. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
You may stop using the Service at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access if you breach these Terms or if necessary to protect the Service or comply with law. On termination, your license ends; provisions that by their nature should survive (including ownership, disclaimers, limitation of liability, and indemnification) will survive.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. The exclusive venue for any dispute not subject to arbitration or small-claims jurisdiction is the state and federal courts located in California, and you consent to their jurisdiction. If any provision is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect.
Questions about these Terms can be sent to [email protected].