Injury Compensation Charts: The Ones Written Into Law, and What They Pay
Reference Guide
Searching for a settlement payout injury compensation chart? Here is the honest answer. For an ordinary accident claim, no official chart exists, and every dollar figure on a law firm's “chart” is an estimate. Real payout charts exist only where a statute or government program sets them: federal workers' comp schedules that pay a fixed number of weeks per body part, the Camp Lejeune Elective Option grid, and the vaccine-injury program's caps. New federal Longshore rates took effect October 1, 2026.
Questions about this case?
AI Legal Assistant · free · answers in seconds · general information, not legal advice
Independent information service: Settlement Insight is not the settlement administrator, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the company named above, and is not a law firm. Submitting this form does not file a claim — it shares your information with our participating legal intake partners, who may contact you about your options.
What an Injury Compensation Chart Really Is
Three kinds of real charts exist, and none of them is a list of average settlements.
1. Workers' comp schedules. These count weeks, not dollars. Under the federal employees' law (5 U.S.C. 8107), losing an arm is worth 312 weeks of compensation, paid at 66⅔ percent of your pay. The Longshore Act (33 U.S.C. 908) uses the same weeks. Your dollar figure is the weeks times your weekly rate.
2. Fixed government grids. The Camp Lejeune Elective Option pays a set amount based on the illness and how long you were on base.
3. Caps. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program limits pain and suffering to $250,000.
Everything else — car crashes, slip and falls, malpractice — is negotiated case by case. No court or agency publishes a payout chart for those.
Case details
Each chart comes from a specific law. 5 U.S.C. 8107 sets the schedule for federal employees. 33 U.S.C. 908(c) sets it for longshore and harbor workers, and the U.S. Department of Labor publishes the weekly maximum and minimum each year. 42 U.S.C. 300aa-15 sets what the vaccine program can pay; its claims are decided by special masters. The Camp Lejeune grid comes from the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022. The Justice Department and the Navy announced it as the “Elective Option” on September 6, 2023. The U.S. position is that lawyers' fees on those claims cannot exceed 20% for administrative claims or 25% for lawsuits (28 U.S.C. 2678).
State workers' comp systems write their own schedules. For those, see our workers' comp chart by body part and the New York workers' comp chart.
Where the Numbers Stand in October 2026
Camp Lejeune: As of September 18, 2026, the Justice Department reports more than $1.1 billion in settlement offers and more than $879 million paid. It also states that it is not reconsidering Elective Option determinations and is not accepting additional Elective Option documentation.
Vaccine injuries: The caps are still $250,000 under the statute. A bipartisan bill introduced July 14, 2026 would raise them for the first time since 1986. As of October 2026 it is a proposal, not law.
Which Chart Applies to You
Federal employee hurt on the job: the FECA schedule in 5 U.S.C. 8107.
Longshore, harbor or Defense Base Act worker: the Longshore schedule and the 2026–2027 rate limits. One difference: the minimum weekly rate does not apply under the Defense Base Act.
Private-sector or state employee: your state's workers' comp schedule, not the federal one. A workers' comp lawyer page explains when outside help makes sense.
Lived or worked at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days, with a listed illness: the Elective Option grid. Be aware that the Justice Department is no longer accepting additional Elective Option documentation.
Injured by a covered vaccine: the vaccine program and its caps.
Car crash, fall, medical error: no chart. Your claim is valued on its own facts.
What the Charts Actually Pay
Camp Lejeune grid: Tier 1 illnesses pay $150,000, $300,000 or $450,000 for 30 to 364 days, 1 to 5 years, or more than 5 years on base. Tier 2 illnesses pay $100,000, $250,000 or $400,000. A death adds $100,000, so the maximum is $550,000.
Vaccine program: medical costs and lost earnings, plus up to $250,000 for pain and suffering, or $250,000 for a death.
Everything else: the most neutral data is old. In 2005 state civil trials, the median award was $28,000, and $15,000 in motor vehicle cases. Fewer than 5 percent of winners received over $1 million. Settlements are not trial awards. For taxes, see are personal injury settlements taxable.
Injury Compensation Charts Timeline
1986 — Vaccine Program Created
Congress establishes the VICP as a no-fault alternative to lawsuits. Its $250,000 caps on pain and suffering and on death awards have not changed since.
2005 — First National Trial-Award Count
Justice Department statisticians count state civil trials: median award $28,000, motor vehicle cases $15,000, medical malpractice $682,000.
September 6, 2023 — Camp Lejeune Grid Announced
The Justice Department and the Navy announce the Elective Option: two illness tiers, three exposure bands, a maximum of $550,000.
July 14, 2026 — Bill to Raise Vaccine Caps
Two House members introduce the Vaccine Injury Compensation Modernization Act. It would raise the caps and extend the filing limit from 3 to 5 years. It has not become law.
September 18, 2026 — Camp Lejeune Totals
The Justice Department reports more than $1.1 billion in offers and more than $879 million paid. It is no longer accepting additional Elective Option documentation.
October 1, 2026 — New Longshore Rates
The maximum weekly rate rises to $2,163.92 and the minimum to $540.98, through September 30, 2027.
Three Things to Watch For
Charts are easy to fake because most people have never seen a real one:
Dollar charts presented as official
A table saying “knee: $X” is an advertiser's estimate. The official federal schedules count weeks of pay, not dollars, and your amount depends on your own wage. A site that asks for your phone number before showing “your value” is collecting leads.
Late Camp Lejeune “Elective Option” pitches
The Justice Department says it is not accepting additional Elective Option documentation and is not reconsidering determinations. Be wary of anyone promising to get you onto the grid now. The U.S. position is that fees above 20% (administrative) or 25% (lawsuit) are not allowed.
“The vaccine caps were just raised”
The bill introduced July 14, 2026 is a proposal. The statute still caps pain and suffering at $250,000. Treat any claim of a new, higher vaccine payout as unverified until the law itself changes.
Injury Compensation Charts — Questions People Actually Ask
Short answers to the questions people ask most about this case.
Is there an official settlement payout injury compensation chart?
Only for specific programs. Federal workers' comp laws list weeks of pay per body part, the Camp Lejeune Elective Option has a fixed grid, and the vaccine program has caps. For car accidents, falls and most personal injury claims, no official chart exists.
What is the average payout for a back injury at work?
We found no reliable national average. The back is not on the federal body-part schedule. Under the Longshore Act, unscheduled injuries are paid at 66⅔ percent of the difference between your old wage and what you can earn afterward. State rules differ. See our back injury settlement calculator and impairment rating guide.
How much is a lost arm, hand or finger worth in workers' comp?
Under the federal schedule: arm 312 weeks, hand 244, thumb 75, first finger 46, fourth finger 15. Multiply the weeks by your weekly compensation rate, which is two-thirds of your pay up to the program's limit. Losing 80 percent or more of the vision in one eye counts as losing the eye.
How do you calculate personal injury settlement?
No law sets a formula. Claims are valued on documented costs, lost income and the severity of the injury, then negotiated. The most recent national trial data we found is from 2005: a median award of $28,000 across all civil trials, not only injury cases. Our average settlement amounts by injury and negotiating with adjusters pages go further.
What are the Camp Lejeune Elective Option payout amounts?
Tier 1 (kidney, liver and bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemias): $150,000, $300,000 or $450,000 by time on base. Tier 2 (multiple myeloma, Parkinson's disease, kidney disease, systemic sclerosis): $100,000, $250,000 or $400,000. Death adds $100,000. Cardiac birth defects are not covered by the grid.
What is the maximum workers' comp payment per week in 2026?
Under the Longshore Act it is $2,163.92 from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, with a minimum of $540.98. State maximums are set separately by each state.
Is vaccine injury compensation capped?
Yes. Pain and suffering is capped at $250,000, and a vaccine-related death pays $250,000 to the estate. Medical costs and lost earnings are paid on top. A bill introduced July 14, 2026 would raise the caps; as of October 2026 it has not become law.
What is a reasonable settlement offer?
No chart can answer that for an ordinary claim. Compare the offer with your documented losses. Our am I being lowballed page walks through it. For Camp Lejeune, the Justice Department says claimants who accept an Elective Option offer can expect payment within 60 days or less, provided the payment paperwork is complete, and that the offers are not reduced by VA benefits.
About This Information
- Editorially Reviewed — Content reviewed for accuracy using published legal research, government data, and verified court records. See our methodology. Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
- $236 billion in real payouts analyzed · See what we found
This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Lawsuit status, eligibility, and compensation can change. Settlement Insight is not a law firm and does not represent any party. Consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation.
Related Consumer Brand Lawsuits
Other cases and free tools — not about this case.
Similar cases we track
- Workers Comp Chart by Body PartState schedules: weeks of pay for each scheduled body part
- Average Settlement Amounts by InjuryWhat payment records show for common injury types
- Camp Lejeune Settlement CalculatorEstimate where a claim falls on the Elective Option grid
- Class Action Payout CalculatorEstimate a per-person share of a class settlement fund