Indian Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (Sep 2022)
Comparison of Permanent Physical Impairment Ratings According to Government of India Disability Evaluation Guidelines Version 2001 and 2018
Abstract
Background: Disability policies across the world depend on a complex process called disability assessment which serves as a basis for determining eligibility for disability benefits. Disability evaluation and impairment ratings are conceptually different, but impairment evaluation is done as a proxy for disability estimation. The impairment rating guidelines issued by the Government of India serve various purposes such as employment reservation benefits, disability pension schemes, tax exemptions, transport concessions, healthcare provisions, provision of assistance aids, compensation in medico-legal cases, etc. The 2018 guidelines have some modifications from the previous 2001 version. Aperson with equal to or more than 40% rating has benchmark disability and is eligible for disability benefits. The newer guidelines have expanded with the inclusion of new disability categories and the new rating methods. However, there is a lack of evidence-based data on how these new changes affect the severity of ratings and percentage calculation. Objective: The objective of this study was to study the agreement between the two guidelines. Methods: It was a hospital-based observational study constituting 288 participants with locomotor disability. Results: There was a strong agreement between the two guidelines for the severity of impairment ratings and detection of benchmark disability for neurological as well as musculoskeletal disorders(interclass correlation coefficient=0.97, P ≤0.001). Conclusion: The strong agreement between the two guidelines indicates that both guidelines have similar and comparable scales in commonly used categories for disability evaluation overall. Further research is required on various subcategories of disability.
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