Can a injured employee be brought back to work on light duty?

Answer: It depends on the circumstances. Many employers are reluctant to bring injured employees back who were hurt off the job because they fear if the employee aggravates the injury while on light duty at work, it may become a workers’ comp case.

Is it possible to get a light duty job?

Other employers do provide light duty work. These employers may provide work but only temporarily. There are some employers who will provide light duty jobs on a more permanent basis. Many people find that their work restrictions prevent you from being as productive at work as they used to be.

What happens if Doctor clears you for light duty work?

If a physician has cleared a worker to return with light-duty work restrictions, a refusal to do so by the worker could result in the loss of workers’ compensation benefits. #3 – Does the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) affect offers of light-duty work?

How does light duty work affect workers compensation?

If a light-duty job pays less than you were making before your injury, you may be entitled to reimbursement of the difference from the employer. However, the goal behind rehabilitation and light-duty work is to eventually return you to the wage you were making at the time of your injury.

What happens if you get fired while on light duty?

Here is some information about workers’ compensation when you are fired while on light duty. Employers are given a powerful incentive to bring their disabled employees back to work. They do not have to pay wage loss benefits if they provide a job within restrictions. This is called “favored work” or “reasonable employment.”

When to ask about light duty work restrictions?

The ultimate goal is to allow the worker to recover from the injuries and return to gainful employment. Questions can arise when an employee’s doctor places light-duty work restrictions on the authorization to return to work or when an employer offers a worker the opportunity to return to light-duty work while the individual is still recovering.

Why are injured workers released to return to work?

It acknowledges that the workers’ condition is still questionable and they might not be able to do the job. It protects against the worker having the rug pulled out from under them by an employer that fires them before they can attempt to perform the job.

Can a light duty worker get a work release?

If returning to light duty work with restrictions is out of the question, workers should insist their doctor make the work release for a trial period.

Is it good to go back to work after injury?

Many times, the worker is thrilled with the prospect of returning to work and getting back to a normal paycheck. No one really likes being off work, and getting only two-thirds of their regular pay puts them in a financial bind pretty quickly.

When do injured workers go back to work?

They continue to receive some type of therapy, but their recovery is slow. One day, completely out of the blue, the employer calls the worker and tells them they need to return to work.

If returning to light duty work with restrictions is out of the question, workers should insist their doctor make the work release for a trial period.

Can a injured worker get a full duty release?

Most often it involves younger workers and smaller employers, but it isn’t just limited to them. This practice involves an employer tricking the injured worker to get a full duty release to return to work when they aren’t physically able to do so.

How does light duty work affect workers comp?

The effect of light-duty work on your workers’ compensation benefits depends on your light-duty wage: You will continue receiving payments for the loss of income if you make less money than before the work-related injury.

What should I do while on light duty?

Modify your polices and practices to comply with the requirements. Studies also show that employees heal faster while on light duty. If you need expert advice on employee issues, call the HR HelpLine. I provide operational advice, not legal advice, on how to address difficult employee and organizational issues.

When is an employer not required to offer light duty?

This is because reassignment to a vacant position and appropriate modification of an employer’s policy are forms of reasonable accommodation required by the ADA, absent undue hardship If the injury does not fall under the ADA definition and if the employer does not fall under ADA guidelines, then you would not be required to offer light duty.

When to reassign an employee to a light duty position?

However, and this is where it gets tricky, if the injury or illness meets the definition of “disability” under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and a light duty position is open and available, under the ADA, you would be required to consider reassigning that employee to the light duty position as a reasonable accommodation.