Vocational Rehabilitation

Answer:

One issue that comes up in a Workers’ Compensation claim is whether or not an employee is entitled to vocational rehab. Vocational rehab typically comes up towards the end of a Workers’ Compensation claim in which the doctor is providing work restrictions that the employer believes they can’t accommodate and the employee is being offered vocation rehab. It’s important for you to understand that, before you answer the question of whether or not you’re entitled to vocational rehab, you need to consider whether or not you can continue working for the employer in either your normal customary job or whether or not you’re entitled to another position within the company. If you’ve been injured at work and the doctor’s providing you with work restrictions, but the employer is saying that they can’t accommodate those work restrictions, you should really ask yourself, can the employer actually accommodate the position and can you do your normal and customary job with those restrictions, or is there another position within the company that would allow you to continue to work for the company that’s vacant? If you’ve been injured at work, and you’ve been provided work restrictions, and you still want to work for the company, don’t just assume that because they’re offering you vocational rehab, that doesn’t mean that you aren’t entitled to continue to work for the employer. If your condition is such that you can’t do your normal and customary work, you are entitled to vocational rehab to allow you to seek training to learn a new skill or trade so you can go work for a different employer or even with your current employer with this new skill or trade. If you’ve filed a Workers’ Compensation claim and you’re concerned as to whether or not you can continue working for your employer at the end of it or whether or not you’re entitled to vocational rehab, make sure that you find an attorney that can answer those questions for you. If you have any questions regarding California Workers’ Compensation process, please feel free to give me a call.