The cervical spine rates like its lumbar sibling — DRE categories with fixed WPI anchors, set higher for the neck — 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 (15–18% — verifiable radiculopathy), category IV (25–28% — fusion, altered motion-segment integrity, or bilateral or multilevel radiculopathy), category V (35–38% — upper-extremity impairment severe enough to need adaptive devices). 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% | 11% · $9,932.50 | 17% · $17,545 | 19% · $20,445 |
| 13% | 14% · $13,412.50 | 21% · $23,345 | 23% · $26,245 |
| 20% | 22% · $24,795 | 33% · $44,080 | 36% · $50,170 |
| 25% (cat. IV 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 usually 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 · elbow · foot · hand · carpal tunnel · hearing · eye · amputation · fusion · knee replacement · rotator cuff · hip replacement · hernia · head injury · herniated disc · meniscus · ulnar nerve · lungs · heart. Estimates for informational use; not legal or medical advice.
Rate your neck 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.