If an injury causes both grip loss and atrophy, which statement is correct regarding rating?

If an injury causes both grip loss and atrophy, which statement is correct regarding rating?

• A. Combine the ratings.
• B. Only the greater of the two.
• C. Only the lesser of the two.
• D. Both the grip loss and the atrophy.

Answer: (A)

When more than one impairment affects the same body part, you don’t pick one or count them separately—you combine them to get a single, overall rating for that part. This uses the AMA Guides Combined Values Chart, which starts with the higher impairment and then combines the second impairment so the total stays within 0–100%. The idea is to reflect the total functional loss without double‑counting overlapping limitations. For example, if grip loss is 30% and atrophy is 20%, the combined rating would be 30% plus 20% times the remaining 70% (about 44%). So, the correct approach is to combine the ratings rather than select one or treat them as two separate impairments.

When more than one impairment affects the same body part, you don’t pick one or count them separately—you combine them to get a single, overall rating for that part. This uses the AMA Guides Combined Values Chart, which starts with the higher impairment and then combines the second impairment so the total stays within 0–100%. The idea is to reflect the total functional loss without double‑counting overlapping limitations. For example, if grip loss is 30% and atrophy is 20%, the combined rating would be 30% plus 20% times the remaining 70% (about 44%). So, the correct approach is to combine the ratings rather than select one or treat them as two separate impairments.