Post-surgury help

Hi, I had a meniscus repair surgury done on my right knee through work comp a little over a year ago. My knee didn't feel much different after six months and my doc said it would take a year to find out where I am truly at with it (I was never given physical thereapy). Now, a year later, the knee feels much the same and my doctor has told me I may need to give it some 2-5 years, depending. The symptoms I have are mainly instability to a small degree, the knee will pop or hang up occasionally, more or less dull pains from time to time either from some position I got myself in or just an ache while doing nothing, soreness after strenuous work, and if I push on the inside of my knee with my finger on a certain spot it feels like pushing on a pretty good bruise.
I recieved a PPD (permanent partial disability) check in the mail the other day that said I have a 3% disability. I'm assuming this is to release work comp of any further financial burden. Now that I've dispensed with the backstory, my questions are these:
Is my doctor correct in that I haven't given this enough time and that my knee will substantially improve over the next year or more? My union has urged me to not cash this check and seek a second opinion. My concern is that my doctor originally told me one year and then now has backed up to say 2-5 years. Does anyone have any expirience with the time frame it actually takes this thing to heal? Are my symptoms normal for post-op? The bruise feeling concerns me mostly. Has anyone dealt with these PPD checks and what does this actually mean?
thanks