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Miguel Orellana
✦ Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law — Certified by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization ✦
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By Eman Yazdchi, Esq. · Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law, State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization
In California, Labor Code §4658 sets the permanent disability payment schedule — a weekly PD indemnity rate combined with a table of weeks payable by PD percentage. The §4658 California schedule mechanically converts a §4660 PD rating into total dollars, paid out weekly after temporary disability ends.
California Labor Code §4658 establishes the California permanent disability payment schedule — a weekly PD indemnity rate combined with a statutory table of weeks payable at each PD percentage. The §4658 California rule is the mechanical conversion: once the California Labor Code §4660 permanent disability rating is fixed, §4658 produces the dollar amount and the payment duration. PD payments under §4658 begin once temporary disability ends, under the California Labor Code §4650 California 14-day payment-timing rule, and continue weekly until the scheduled weeks are exhausted (with the California Labor Code §4659 life pension extending beyond for high-PD workers).
Under California Labor Code §4658, the California PD weeks-payable schedule increases with the PD rating. A California worker rated low PD (under 10%) receives a small number of scheduled weeks; a worker rated mid PD (30-50%) receives several years of weekly payments; a worker rated high PD (70-99%) receives many years on the schedule, after which California Labor Code §4659 life pension takes over. The §4658 California schedule structure recognizes that more disabling injuries require longer wage replacement; the actual week counts are set by the date-of-injury §4658 California statute in effect at the time.
Under California Labor Code §4658, the California PD weekly indemnity rate is fixed by the date of injury and the worker's average weekly earnings, subject to a statutory PD-rate maximum and minimum. The §4658 California PD weekly indemnity is lower than the California Labor Code §4653 TD rate — it represents a different benefit (compensation for permanent impairment rather than wage-replacement during recovery). The §4658 California PD weekly rate that applies is set as of the date of injury; the maximum and minimum amounts in §4658 are different from the §4653 TD maximum and minimum even though both adjust over time.
Under California Labor Code §4660 (PD rating method) and California Labor Code §4658 (PD payment schedule), the §4658 California payment depends entirely on the §4660 California rating result. The California Labor Code §4660 rating combines AMA Guides Fifth Edition whole-person impairment with the worker's age, occupation, and diminished future earning capacity (DFEC) factor to produce a final California PD percentage. That percentage is then dropped into the §4658 California weeks-payable schedule, multiplied by the §4658 California weekly indemnity rate, to produce the total PD award in dollars. The §4660 California rating is upstream of the §4658 California payment.
Under California Labor Code §4663 (apportionment) and California Labor Code §4659 (life pension), the §4658 California PD payment can be reduced or extended at both ends. California Labor Code §4663 California apportionment reduces the final PD rating that feeds into the §4658 schedule — 25% non-industrial apportionment reduces a §4660 California 80% rating to 60% before §4658 calculates dollars. At the high end, when the post-apportionment §4660 rating is 70-99%, California Labor Code §4659 California life pension kicks in after the §4658 California scheduled weeks are exhausted and pays for life.
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Tap to call →Last reviewed by Eman Yazdchi, Esq., May 2026.
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