Shoulder Injury (Rotator Cuff) Workers Comp Settlements by State
Rotator cuff tears are common in physical labor and often require arthroscopic surgery, extending the temporary disability period.
About Shoulder Injury (Rotator Cuff) Claims
Common causes: Overhead lifting, repetitive reaching, falls
Surgery likelihood: high
Typical time off work: 10 weeks
How Severity Is Rated
The impairment rating for Shoulder Injury (Rotator Cuff) typically falls between 5% and 20%, reflecting how much permanent function is lost. This percentage — not the injury's severity in plain terms — is what actually drives the permanent disability portion of a settlement. Learn more about how impairment ratings work and how they connect to permanent partial disability.
A partial-thickness tear treated with physical therapy alone is a different case than a full-thickness tear requiring arthroscopic or open repair. Post-surgical strength and range-of-motion loss — measured months after the repair, not right after surgery — is what actually sets the impairment rating.
Does Surgery Change the Outcome?
Whether surgery is needed for Shoulder Injury (Rotator Cuff) is high likelihood based on typical cases. A surgical recommendation is worth discussing with your treating physician early, since it changes both your recovery timeline and your claim's trajectory.
Where the 1.5x–3.5x Range Comes From
10 weeks approximates a partial-tear recovery managed with physical therapy alone; a full-thickness tear requiring surgical repair routinely runs longer, which is exactly why the 1.5x–3.5x range is wide rather than a single number. This range is CompClaimIQ's modeling choice, not a figure pulled from actual claim outcomes.
Typical Claim Timeline
Most Shoulder Injury (Rotator Cuff) claims see roughly 10 weeks of temporary disability before returning to some form of work. The claim itself often stays open longer than that, since permanent disability evaluation and settlement negotiation happen after MMI, not before. See what maximum medical improvement (MMI) means for your claim, and how temporary total disability benefits work in the meantime.
Estimated Settlement by State
Sorted highest to lowest estimated range. Click a state for the full calculation and that state's specific rules.
| State | Estimated Range |
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Estimates only, not legal advice. Rankings reflect the top of each state's estimated range and don't account for case-specific facts.