Most workers’ compensation claims are relatively simple. Employees report their injuries or medical conditions to their employers. They seek treatment from a health care professional. Workers’ compensation pays for their necessary medical care.
If workers require time away from work to heal, workers’ compensation can also replace their lost income. Workers may even receive partial disability benefits if they have to work lower-paying jobs while recovering.
Sometimes, workers may not fully recover from their injuries. In such situations, long-term benefits may be available. Some workers may also require benefits that are not available to every injured worker. Some employees with work-acquired medical conditions may require vocational rehabilitation benefits.
What does vocational rehabilitation entail?
Workers can receive job training if a job injury affects their earning potential. Often, the employees who need vocational rehabilitation benefits are blue-collar professionals. In scenarios where a worker is unlikely to make a full medical recovery, they may be eligible for vocational rehabilitation benefits. Those benefits effectively help them cover training expenses so that they can improve their earning potential.
If lingering symptoms or functional limitations reduce a professional’s earning potential, the state can pay for workers to acquire new skills or certifications that help them earn more competitive wages. Not every worker with long-term symptoms automatically qualifies for vocational rehabilitation benefits.
The state has a specific standard for vocational rehabilitation. If a worker sees a drop in income that leaves them at 75% or less of their prior earning potential, they can request vocational rehabilitation.
Many workers apply for vocational rehabilitation services when a doctor determines that they have reached maximum medical improvement (MMI). If they are unlikely to respond to additional treatment, they can ask workers’ compensation to help them find other ways to support themselves.
Even workers who have not yet achieved MMI may be eligible for vocational rehabilitation benefits if their prognosis indicates that they are unlikely to return to their prior position or a similar role with comparable pay.
Learning more about the different workers’ compensation benefits available may help people receive the right compensation after a job injury. Vocational rehabilitation can be very useful for workers who can no longer maintain the same careers.
