Knee injury with long leg brace case—what is the standard rating for the knee?

• A. 10 percent
• B. 25 percent
• C. 15 percent
• D. 40 percent

Answer: (D)

The knee’s standard rating reflects the level of permanent impairment to that joint, and needing a long leg brace signals a high degree of dysfunction. In California’s rating schedule, a knee injury that requires a long leg brace is assigned a 40 percent impairment. The other percentages correspond to less severe knee impairments that wouldn’t justify the use of a long leg brace. So the case described maps to the 40 percent standard knee rating.