5.5.1 American Medical Association's (AMA) Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment

The AMA Guides are the original source documents upon which the DRCA PI Guide and the previous versions of the Approved Guides are based. 

The AMA Guides provide a standard framework and method of analysis through which doctors can evaluate, report on, and communicate information about the impairments of any human organ system. They are used as a guide to estimating the degree of long-standing or permanent impairments, which are defined as adverse conditions that are stable and unlikely to change.

If a client's impairment is of a kind that cannot be assessed in accordance with the provisions of Division 1 of the DRCA PI Guide, the Principles of Assessment in the DRCA PI Guide authorises reference to the provisions of the AMA Guides 5th Edition (AMA5) in making the assessment.

Note: Chapter 6 (visual systems) provides that the AMA2 should be used to assess visual field defects.

Following the decision of the Full Federal Court in the case of Comcare v Broadhurst [2011] FCAFC 39, this reference to the “current” guide should be read as a reference to AMA 5. The DRCA PI Guide confirmed this approach, see the Principles of Assessment 'Exceptions to Division 1'. The AMA5 is to be used in these cases to assess a percentage PI rating, which is then to be used to calculate PI compensation under section 24 as per normal.

Use of AMA Guides in Defence cases is restricted

The AMA Guides are to be used on a very restricted basis for assessments of permanent impairment for Defence personnel, and then only in consultation with, or under the direction of, an approved medical provider.

A common case of use of the AMA Guides is for fingers or toes in place of Table 9.4. See the section on the musculo-skeletal tables above for more information.