When you suffer an injury at work, whether it is a sudden injury or a progressive injury, you might end up having to take time off of work and seek medical care. That might lead to you filing for workers’ compensation benefits. Those benefits are meant for you to get your medical bills paid for and have a portion of your income coming in while you heal from your work-related injuries. Eventually, you might be ready to go back to work.
What happens if I can’t do my former job?
If you are unable to return to the same job that you had before your injury, you might qualify for vocational rehabilitation. This can include receiving partial income payments and learning how to do another job that you are physically able to perform. This program usually has a limit to how much money can be spent on your rehabilitation.
What happens when I return to work?
When you return to work, your new income will be considered. If you are making the same as you were before the injury or more, your workers’ compensation wage replacement benefits will likely stop. If the wages you earn are less than you did prior to the injury, there is a chance that your workers’ compensation benefits might continue, but they may be altered to take your new income into account.
The ways that your benefits might change if you go to work can depend on the type of program you receive benefits through. If you are receiving disability payments, the way those are affected can be a bit different from other programs. Because of the intricacy of the workers’ compensation system, you should verify that you are receiving all of the benefits you should. If you aren’t, you might be able to take action to seek out the benefits you should get but aren’t receiving.
Source: FindLaw, “Workers’ Comp Benefits and Returning to Work,” accessed Aug. 12, 2016
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