- The IRE: How a Medical Exam Can Affect Your Long-Term Benefits If you’ve been on workers’ compensation in Pennsylvania for an extended period, you may be asked to attend an Impairment Rating Evaluation, or IRE. This exam is a critical turning point in your case, as it can have a major impact on the duration of your benefits. This video will explain what an IRE is, who performs it, and why it’s so important for your claim.
- Measuring Whole Body Impairment: We’ll define an IRE as a medical examination conducted by a specific type of physician. The doctor’s job is to use a standardized guide from the American Medical Association to measure your whole body impairment from your work injury.
- The 104-Week Trigger: We’ll explain the timeline. An IRE can be requested by the insurance company after you have received 104 weeks (two years) of total disability benefits.
- The 50% Threshold: We’ll introduce the most important number in the IRE process: 50%. The purpose of the IRE is to determine if your whole body impairment rating is less than 50%.
- The Impact on Your Benefits: We’ll explain the two possible outcomes of an IRE:
- If your rating is 50% or higher: Your status will remain total disability, and your benefits will continue.
- If your rating is less than 50%: Your status will be reclassified from total disability to partial disability.
This video is for any injured worker in Pennsylvania who is approaching the 104-week mark of benefits and wants to know what an IRE is and how it will affect their future.