The insurance company is not your friend, and neither is the TV lawyer who has never tried a case but plays one on late night television. An amputation on the job is one of the few workers comp injuries with a genuinely fixed dollar value written directly into the statute, which means there is almost no excuse for a settlement offer to come in low, except that a settlement mill’s secretary never bothered to check the actual schedule.

What The Law Says About Amputation Injuries On The Job

Miss. Code Ann. Section 71-3-17(c) sets out a fixed scheduled member table for amputation injuries, arm 200 weeks, leg 175 weeks, hand 150 weeks, foot 125 weeks, eye 100 weeks, thumb 60 weeks, first finger 35 weeks, great toe 30 weeks, second finger 30 weeks, third finger 20 weeks, other toe 10 weeks, and fourth finger 15 weeks. Under Section 71-3-17(19), an arm or leg amputated at or above the wrist or ankle is compensated as loss of the entire arm or leg, not a smaller partial amount. These numbers are fixed by statute, not negotiable, and a settlement mill’s secretary who quotes a number below the scheduled amount is either mistaken or hoping you never check.

Hand Amputations On Processing Line Equipment

Under Section 71-3-17(c), a hand amputation is compensated for 150 weeks, a fixed number regardless of your wage. Picture a Delta Pride processing line worker whose hand is caught and amputated at the wrist by a cutting machine during a line jam, an injury with an unmistakable, undeniable causal connection to the equipment he was required to operate. This is exactly the kind of case where the value should never be in dispute, since 150 weeks at the correct compensation rate is a fixed figure written directly into the statute. A settlement mill’s secretary who negotiates this claim down as though it were a discretionary nonscheduled injury is simply failing to apply a number the law already guarantees.

Arm Amputations At Or Above The Wrist

Under Section 71-3-17(19), an arm amputated at or above the wrist is compensated as loss of the entire arm, 200 weeks under Section 71-3-17(c), not the smaller hand figure. Picture a SuperValu warehouse worker whose arm is crushed and ultimately amputated above the wrist after being caught in conveyor machinery during a jam clearing procedure. The distinction between a hand amputation at 150 weeks and an arm amputation at 200 weeks is not academic, it is 50 additional weeks of compensation the injured worker is owed under the plain language of the statute. A secretary who misclassifies the injury, intentionally or through carelessness, costs the worker real money based on where exactly the amputation line falls.

Foot And Toe Amputations From Heavy Equipment

Under Section 71-3-17(c), a foot amputation is compensated for 125 weeks and a great toe for 30 weeks, fixed figures regardless of the worker’s occupation. Picture a construction worker on an Indianola job site whose foot is crushed under heavy equipment, resulting in a partial foot amputation involving the great toe and adjacent structures. Properly valuing this claim requires the medical record to specify exactly which structures were lost, since the difference between a great toe amputation alone and a broader partial foot amputation changes the compensation owed under the schedule. A settlement mill’s secretary who settles based on a vague “foot injury” description without pinning down the exact anatomical loss leaves scheduled compensation unclaimed.

Finger Amputations And Why Every Finger Is Valued Differently

Under Section 71-3-17(c), the first finger is compensated for 35 weeks, the second finger for 30 weeks, the third finger for 20 weeks, and the fourth finger for 15 weeks, a different number for each finger lost. Picture a maintenance worker at the Catfish Farmers of America facility on US-82 whose first and second fingers are amputated in a machinery accident during equipment repair. Correctly totaling this claim requires adding the specific weeks for each finger lost, 35 plus 30, rather than settling for a lump sum that treats “a couple fingers” as one undifferentiated injury. A secretary who does not itemize each finger separately under the schedule shortchanges the worker on weeks the statute already owes him.

Eye Injuries And Loss Of Vision On The Job

Under Section 71-3-17(c), loss of an eye is compensated for 100 weeks, a fixed figure under the schedule. Picture a Double Quick employee struck in the eye by debris while restocking a storage area, resulting in permanent vision loss in that eye confirmed by an ophthalmologist. Whether the loss amounts to complete loss of the eye or a lesser permanent vision impairment changes which part of the statute applies, and a settlement mill’s secretary who accepts a vague “eye injury” settlement without a formal ophthalmologic impairment rating risks either overpaying or, more commonly, underpaying what the schedule actually requires.

Your TV Lawyer Has Never Filed A Response Brief With The Commission In His Career

When an insurance company disputes exactly which scheduled member category an amputation falls under, that dispute can go to the Commission on the existing record, requiring a written response brief laying out the medical and legal argument for the correct classification. The TV lawyer advertising for Indianola amputation cases has never filed that kind of response brief with the Commission in his career, and a scheduled member classification dispute left unchallenged at that level locks in whatever number the insurance company proposed.

What Damages Are Available On An Amputation Claim

Medical treatment including any reconstructive surgery, the fixed scheduled member compensation under Section 71-3-17(c) for the specific body part lost, and prosthetic fitting and replacement over the life of the claim are all potentially available. The exact number of weeks owed depends on precisely classifying the amputation under the schedule, not a rough estimate.

The Foster Fair Fee Guarantee On Your Amputation Claim

Every amputation case covered by the Foster Fair Fee Guarantee comes with a written promise before you sign anything. You get more money than the fee. No exceptions.

Resources For Your Indianola Amputation Claim

The Indianola workers compensation hub covers every workers comp topic handled for Sunflower County workers, and the statewide work injury page covers the framework across every city. The official state agency that administers these claims, the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, publishes the forms and rules governing every amputation claim filed in this state.

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Why The TV Lawyer’s Fee Stack Still Grows On A Fixed Schedule Claim

You would think a fixed statutory number would leave no room for a fee stack, and you would be wrong. There is the standard fee. Then a fee for reviewing the surgical records. Then a fee for requesting the impairment rating. Then a fee for reviewing that fee. Then, once the number gets big enough anyway, an invented expense line sized just right to help fund the chalet in the mountains he visits twice a year, while his secretary tells you the amputation settlement is simply what the law allows. Nobody prints a percentage on the sheet, because a percentage would let you catch the math before the check clears, even on a number the statute already fixed.

Would you trust a fortune teller to calculate your medical bills? That is essentially what an inexperienced secretary does with your amputation claim when she cannot correctly classify which scheduled member category your injury falls under. Not one TV lawyer advertising for these cases in the Delta has ever filed a response brief with the Commission in his career, and the insurance company’s classification of your injury goes unchallenged as a direct result.

Frequently Asked Questions About Indianola Amputation Claims

How Much Is An Indianola Amputation Workers Comp Claim Worth?

Section 71-3-17(c) sets fixed weeks for each body part, arm 200 weeks, leg 175 weeks, hand 150 weeks, foot 125 weeks, eye 100 weeks, thumb 60 weeks, and specific figures for each finger and toe. The value depends on correctly classifying exactly which body part and how much of it was lost.

Is An Arm Amputated At The Wrist Valued The Same As A Hand Amputation In Indianola?

No. Under Section 71-3-17(19), an arm amputated at or above the wrist is compensated as loss of the entire arm, 200 weeks, not the 150 week hand figure. Correctly classifying where the amputation occurred matters significantly to the final value.

If I Lost More Than One Finger In My Indianola Work Accident, How Is That Valued?

Each finger is valued separately under Section 71-3-17(c), the first finger at 35 weeks, the second at 30 weeks, the third at 20 weeks, and the fourth at 15 weeks. Multiple finger losses should be added together, not settled as one lump undifferentiated amount.

Does A Prosthetic Get Covered After An Indianola Workers Comp Amputation?

Prosthetic fitting and replacement can be part of the medical treatment owed under the claim, separate from the fixed scheduled member compensation for the body part itself.

Where Would My Indianola Amputation Claim Be Heard If The Classification Is Disputed?

At the Sunflower County Courthouse, 200 Main Street, Indianola, in front of an Administrative Judge, or in the county’s board of supervisors room when no courtroom is available. A dispute over which scheduled category applies needs a lawyer capable of arguing it there and, if necessary, before the Commission.

P.S. The adjuster reviewing your Indianola amputation claim already knows the exact scheduled figure your injury is worth under Section 71-3-17, and he is hoping you never look it up yourself. Get the FREE book before you sign anything, and find out what the insurance company is counting on you never learning about scheduled member valuation.

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