Criteria: Table 8-2 Skin Disorders (178)
Guidance: Methods of evaluating skin impairment are discussed in Section 8.1, Principles of Assessment (174). Criteria for evaluating permanent impairment of the skin are presented in Section 8.7, Criteria for Evaluating Permanent Impairment Due to Skin Disorders (178). Table 8-2, Criteria for Rating Permanent Impairment Due to Skin Disorders (178), specifies five classes of impairment. These classes are based largely on the impact of the skin condition on activities of daily living. A list of activities of daily living is provided in Table 1-2 (4). A class 1 impairment is defined as “signs and symptoms of skin disorder are present or only intermittently present and there is no limitation or limitation in the performance of few activities of daily living, although exposure to certain chemical or physical agents might increase limitation temporarily, and no treatment or intermittent treatment is required” (Table 2, 280). Class 1 impairment is associated with 0% to 9% whole person permanent impairment. Class 2 (10% to 24% whole person permanent impairment) requires signs or symptoms of a skin disorder to be present or intermittently present, and limitation in the performance of some of the activities of daily living, and the need for intermittent to constant treatment. Burns can result in other impairments, for example motion deficits or impairments of other organ systems. Section 8.1, Principles of Assessment, on page 174, states that those impairments should be rated, and the whole person ratings should then be combined.
