Wrist and Hand Workers Comp Settlement in Alaska

How Alaska values an unscheduled wrist and hand injury

Alaska schedules other body parts but treats the wrist and hand under a general impairment provision instead. The doctor assigns a whole-person impairment rating at MMI, and the carrier pays 66⅔% of your average weekly wage for the statutory weeks attached to that rating, capped at $1,418.00 per week. The Alaska workers comp overview explains the general impairment provision in detail.

Wrist and Hand medical context and impairment ratings

Hand and wrist injuries make up the largest single category of upper-extremity workers comp claims because manual workers use them constantly. The state schedule values fingers individually (thumb usually the most), and most states pay separately for the loss of a phalange. Surgical hand cases are rated using the AMA Guides upper-extremity tables, which combine range-of-motion, grip strength, and sensory deficit into a hand-level impairment percentage, then convert to whole-person.

Common variants and terms searchers use for a wrist and hand claim: wrist fracture, scaphoid, TFCC tear, hand fracture, thumb injury, finger amputation, tendon laceration, trigger finger.

Typical whole-person impairment ratings

The doctor's impairment rating at MMI is the lever the PPD payout turns on. Below are the rating ranges most frequently assigned for wrist and hand injuries under the AMA Guides. Your actual rating depends on the specific anatomy, the surgical outcome, and how the rating physician applies the Guides.

Ratings here are typical ranges based on the AMA Guides editions adopted by most states. Your state may use a different edition; check the Alaska statute citation in the rate card above.

Recovery timeline to MMI

Wrist fractures fixed with ORIF typically reach MMI six to nine months after surgery once hand therapy is complete. Finger injuries with successful tendon repairs reach MMI three to six months out. Persistent grip-strength deficits or range-of-motion limits at MMI drive the impairment rating up.

Surgery and the Alaska wrist and hand settlement value

Surgery is the single biggest lever on a wrist and hand workers comp settlement value. Surgery usually raises the permanent impairment rating compared to the same injury treated conservatively, and the PPD value scales with the rating. Surgery also extends the time you spend in temporary disability, which delays the settlement conversation but does not reduce its eventual value.

For more on whether to have surgery and how it affects the settlement value, see the surgery and settlement value guide.

Common questions about wrist and hand settlements in Alaska

What is a hand injury workers comp settlement worth?

Hand injury settlements depend heavily on the specific structure injured and the residual deficit. A clean wrist fracture with no residual stiffness produces a low single-digit rating; a crush injury with permanent grip-strength loss produces a much higher one. The state schedule then drives the weeks payable.

Does workers comp pay for a finger amputation?

Yes. Every state's schedule lists scheduled weeks for the loss of each finger, with the thumb usually carrying the highest value. Loss of a phalange (one segment of a finger) is generally paid at half the full-finger value.

What is a wrist fracture workers comp settlement worth?

A wrist fracture treated successfully with ORIF typically lands at a 3 to 8 percent whole-person impairment rating, and the PPD value scales with the state's formula. Persistent stiffness or weakness raises the rating. Bilateral cases are rated separately.

How common is a wrist and hand workers comp claim?

Wrist and Hand injuries account for 16.1% of all US days-away-from-work cases in the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics survey (2024), or about 295,920 cases nationally per year. BLS does not publish a state-level breakdown of body-part counts in the same table, so the Alaska share specifically is not separately published.

Source: BLS SOII 2024 Table R2: Detailed industry by selected parts of body affected (Number) .

Wrist and Hand settlement value in other states

Other states pay very different maximum wrist and hand settlements for the same total-loss injury. This chart compares the max PPD payout at each state's weekly cap. Alaska does not appear in the schedule comparison because it does not separately schedule the wrist and hand.

Each bar shows the maximum permanent partial disability payout for a total loss of the wrist and hand, calculated as statutory weeks × state weekly cap. A worker earning below the state cap collects two-thirds of their own wage and would receive less than the bar shows. See the Wrist and Hand ranking across all states for the full list.

When will Alaska offer a settlement on a wrist and hand claim?

Most Alaska cases do not produce a settlement offer until the worker reaches maximum medical improvement. Before MMI, the carrier prefers to keep paying weekly temporary disability and medical bills because the case is still worth an unknown amount. Once MMI lands and the impairment rating is set, the case becomes a math problem the carrier can price. That is when wrist and hand settlement talks usually start.

Surgery is the other common trigger. If a doctor recommends surgery for the wrist and hand injury and the worker is still deciding, the rating is in flux and the carrier waits. After surgery and recovery to MMI, the rating stabilizes and the settlement conversation opens. The MMI guide walks through what changes the day MMI is declared.

Tax and timing of payment

Workers compensation paid under a state workers compensation act is excluded from federal gross income under IRS Publication 525 and Internal Revenue Code § 104(a)(1). That covers your weekly checks and any lump-sum settlement that takes their place. Alaska does not separately tax the same income.

The check usually arrives two to four weeks after a judge signs the settlement. Structured settlements and Medicare Set-Aside arrangements add time. See the payment timing guide for the full breakdown.

What this number does not include

The figures above value the permanent partial disability portion of the claim. Alaska workers comp pays several other components separately:

• Medical care, past and future. The carrier pays for authorized treatment of the wrist and hand injury. A settlement may close future medical for a separate lump sum.
• Temporary disability already paid. Weekly TTD and TPD checks during recovery are a separate bucket.
• Mileage to medical appointments. Alaska reimburses travel at the per-mile rate set by the state.
• Vocational rehabilitation. If the wrist and hand injury keeps you from returning to your prior job, the carrier may have to pay for retraining.
• Permanent total disability. A separate award entirely, paid if you cannot return to any reasonable work.

Sources

• Alaska DLWD Workers' Compensation
• AS § 23.30.190 Compensation for Permanent Partial Impairment
• DOL OWCP State Workers' Compensation Officials
• BLS SOII 2024 Table R2: Detailed industry by selected parts of body affected (Number)