The surprise is this: a disability rating is not a guarantee of lifetime checks. In the worst case, it means New York decides your injury is permanent but only pays a limited award based on a formula, even if your body never feels the same and your job options shrink.

For many broken-bone injuries, New York workers' comp uses a Schedule Loss of Use (SLU) award. That is common for permanent loss in an arm, hand, leg, foot, fingers, toes, hearing, or vision. The doctor measures lasting loss of motion, strength, or function after you reach maximum medical improvement. Then the New York Workers' Compensation Board applies a percentage and number of weeks set by law. It is not based on how badly you need rent money.

If the injury is not a scheduled body part - for example a sternum/chest injury, back injury, lung damage, or illness from toxic exposure - the case may be classified differently. Then benefits are usually tied to your loss of wage-earning capacity, which can matter if you cannot go back to the same hourly work in Manhattan.

Things go better when the medical records clearly show what you still cannot do months later: lifting, climbing stairs, carrying tools, standing a full shift, breathing pain, or working around chemicals. That matters a lot after crash injuries on roads like the BQE (I-278) or storm-season work injuries involving flood cleanup and debris.

A few deadlines matter right away:

• Tell your employer within 30 days
• File a C-3 claim with the Workers' Compensation Board within 2 years
• Keep records of every work restriction and missed shift

If your employer offers "light duty" at lower pay, your rating can affect ongoing partial benefits. If you can return to the same job at the same wages, the long-term payout is usually much smaller.