While recovering from your injuries, the treating doctor will eventually release you to return to work with light duty restrictions. So how does this affect your weekly check?
Light Duty Restrictions and Weekly Benefits
Because the goal is to get you back to work, the doctor will put you on light duty restrictions. For example, there could be limitations on how much you can lift or carry. In addition, you may only work up to so many hours a day for a period of time. While this is often difficult, doctors commonly use this approach to slowly ease you back into work. Either you stay at home and heal completely or start back at your job while you finish recovering. So how does this affect your weekly pay?
While written out of work completely, you get a weekly check that is 2/3 of your average pay. However, when working part-time or restricted duty, you get partial workers comp benefits and partial job pay. But before you get your workers comp check, your employer tells the carrier how much you earned on the job. Consequently, there is always a delay while they calculate what they owe you. Hence you start losing money and digging a financial hole.
Refusing Light Duty Restrictions
While most employers have light duty work, some don’t. However, they say they do even when they know that’s not really the truth. In addition, some employers will actually make up a job just to make injured workers have to come to work. So what can happen if you refuse to take a light duty job? First, the employer can fire you because you don’t show up for work. And secondly, the Commission almost always sides with the employer and will not award weekly benefits while out. However, you can still get medical treatment and disability if you suffer permanent injuries. Before you make a bad decision, you need to call us for more information on your options.