Many people try an AI tool because it promises speed: enter your diagnosis, date of injury, body part, and time missed, and get a range. In practice, those tools are best at helping you identify what information matters.
What they typically can’t account for in California:
- The quality and consistency of your medical documentation (not just whether you were treated)
- Whether your treating doctor’s notes clearly connect restrictions to work capacity
- How your employer/insurer frames disputes (for example, whether they challenge causation or job duties)
- Whether your case is close to maximum medical improvement (MMI) or still evolving
- How formal evaluations and reporting timelines affect bargaining leverage
In other words, an AI calculator is not “wrong”—it’s just using generalized patterns. Your case value is anchored to what can be proven and what is likely to be contested.


