There is no single average workers’ comp settlement for finger injury claims in Arizona. A settlement may depend on which finger was injured, whether the worker needed surgery, and whether the injury caused permanent impairment.
A Scottsdale workers’ comp attorney can review your claim, explain how Arizona workers’ compensation benefits are calculated, and help you understand whether a settlement offer is fair.
If you suffered a finger injury on the job, call Matt Fendon Law Group at (800) 229-3880 for a free consultation.
What Is the Average Workers’ Comp Settlement for a Finger Injury?
A workers’ comp settlement for a finger injury can vary widely. A minor sprain or broken finger may resolve for a lower settlement amount, while a finger amputation, severed finger, crushed finger, or permanent hand injury may be worth much more.
Some finger injury compensation amounts may fall around $10,000 in less severe cases. More serious claims involving surgery, permanent impairment, lost wages, and lasting work restrictions may reach $25,000, $50,000, or more, depending on the facts.
However, these numbers are only broad estimates and should not be taken as guarantees. The actual settlement amount depends on the medical evidence, Arizona benefit calculations, impairment rating, wage loss, and whether the injury affects the worker’s ability to do the job.
Factors That Affect Finger Injury Compensation Amounts
Insurance carriers do not value every finger injury the same way. A workers’ comp claim involving a finger fracture is different from a claim involving partial loss of finger compensation or workers’ compensation loss of finger benefits.
Important factors include:
- Which finger was injured: A thumb injury may be valued differently than an index finger, middle finger, ring finger, or pinky injury.
- Severity: A sprain, broken finger, finger fracture, crushed finger, severed finger, and finger amputation can have very different outcomes.
- Dominant hand: An injury to the dominant hand may affect work more than the same injury to the non-dominant hand.
- Occupation: A construction worker or manufacturing employee may have greater wage loss than someone who can return to light-duty work quickly.
- Medical treatment: Surgery, physical therapy, pain management, and follow-up care can affect the claim.
- Lost wages: Time away from work and reduced earning ability can increase the value of the claim.
- Permanent impairment: A permanent impairment rating can affect permanent partial disability benefits.
- Recovery: The worker’s condition at MMI (maximum medical improvement) matters when evaluating settlement.
A workers’ comp lawyer can look at these factors and explain whether the settlement reflects the true effect of the injury.
Finger Amputation Claims
Finger amputation claims are often valued differently from less severe injuries. Arizona workers’ compensation law includes a schedule of injuries for certain permanent partial disability benefits.
Under A.R.S. § 23-1044, scheduled permanent partial disability benefits for loss of a finger are based on the worker’s average monthly wage and the statutory schedule.
The statute lists 15 months for loss of a thumb, 9 months for loss of the index finger, 7 months for loss of the second finger, 5 months for loss of the third finger, and 4 months for loss of the little finger. It also treats certain partial phalange losses as one-half of the thumb or finger.
For a scheduled, complete loss of a finger, Arizona pays 55 percent of the worker’s average monthly wage for the number of months assigned to that finger. A partial loss is calculated at 50%. The actual amount depends on the worker’s wages, the impairment rating, and the medical evidence.
The settlement may depend on which finger was amputated, whether the amputation was partial or complete, the worker’s average monthly wage, and whether there are other injuries.
Medical Treatment, Surgery, and Recovery
Medical treatment is a major part of any workers’ comp claim. Finger injury treatment may include emergency care, imaging, splinting, wound care, hand surgery, tendon repair, pinning, amputation revision, medication, and physical therapy.
Surgery can increase the settlement amount because it often means higher medical bills, longer recovery, and a greater chance of permanent impairment. Physical therapy may also be needed to restore strength, motion, and hand function.
A worker should be careful about settling before understanding future medical treatment. A lump-sum settlement may resolve parts of the claim, depending on the terms.
Permanent Impairment Ratings and AMA Guides
In Arizona workers’ compensation claims, a permanent impairment rating measures your lasting loss of function after your injury reaches Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI). In a workplace finger injury, doctors evaluate specific factors such as range of motion, amputation level, loss of sensation, grip strength, and overall loss of use.
To determine this percentage, doctors generally rate impairment using the edition of the American Medical Association (AMA) Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment that Arizona has adopted — currently the 6th Edition.
The Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA) relies on the AMA Guides, although the rating physician retains some discretion in how they are applied.
Because this final impairment rating directly dictates your permanent partial disability benefits and shapes future settlement negotiations, an undervalued rating means your ultimate financial recovery may be too low.
How Arizona Workers’ Compensation Benefits Are Calculated
Arizona workers’ compensation benefits may include medical treatment, wage loss benefits, and permanent disability benefits. Arizona workers’ comp does not pay for pain and suffering. Those damages are only available through a separate third-party personal injury claim against someone other than your employer.
The Industrial Commission of Arizona explains that an accepted claim may provide medical benefits and compensation benefits for an industrial injury.
Temporary total disability benefits, often called TTD, may apply if the worker is unable to work during recovery. Arizona law generally pays temporary total compensation at 66⅔ percent of the worker’s average monthly wage during the period of disability.
Permanent partial disability, or PPD, may apply after the worker reaches MMI and receives an unscheduled impairment rating. The ICA explains that permanent impairments may be scheduled or unscheduled, and scheduled injuries are paid under the Arizona Workers’ Compensation Law schedule.
How to File a Workers’ Comp Claim in Arizona
Workers should report finger injuries as soon as possible after they happen on the job. The worker should explain how the injury occurred, which finger(s) were injured, and whether the injury involved the hand, the dominant hand, equipment, machinery, tools, or a specific work task.
The Industrial Commission of Arizona states that an injured worker can make a workers’ compensation claim by completing a Worker’s and Physician’s Report of Injury at the doctor’s office or by filing a Worker’s Report of Injury with the Commission.
Basic steps include:
- Reporting the work injury to the employer
- Getting medical treatment
- Informing the doctor that the injury happened on the job
- Filing the workers’ comp claim
- Saving medical records and work restrictions
- Tracking lost wages and wage loss
- Following treatment and physical therapy instructions
- Calling a workers’ comp attorney if benefits are delayed or denied
A claim can become more difficult if the worker waits too long, provides incomplete information, or if the insurance carrier argues the injury did not occur at work.
Talk to an Arizona Workers’ Comp Attorney About a Finger Injury
The average workers’ comp settlement for finger injury claims depends on several factors. A workers’ comp attorney can help calculate benefits, challenge a low impairment rating, negotiate a settlement, and protect your recovery.
Matt Fendon Law Group represents injured workers throughout Arizona, including Scottsdale workers dealing with serious finger, thumb, hand, and amputation claims. A Scottsdale workers’ comp lawyer can review your workers’ comp settlement, explain your options, and help you move forward after a finger injury on the job.
Call Matt Fendon Law Group at (800) 229-3880 for a free consultation.
