Medical panels and other assessors making impairment assessments under s.91(1) of the Accident Compensation Act 1985 have a discretion (but not an obligation) to round off whole person impairment ratings to the nearest 5% in accordance with the rounding off provision in the Preface to the AMA Guides. The rounding off provision is an integral part of the Guides and cannot be treated as excluded from the legislative scheme. Re Coverdale is overruled and the obiter in Barnett is not to be followed on this point.
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