Workers Compensation Light Duty Work

It is not uncommon for employees who are on leave and receiving workers compensation benefits to be released to return to work with light duty restrictions.

Workers compensation light duty work.

Implementing a light duty or modified duty return to work program at your company is great for business owners and for employees. In most cases some temporary modification of duties can be made for an employee that would allow them to return to work in a limited capacity subject to his her medical restrictions. To account for these situations some employers have designated light duty positions reserved for employees who are released to return to work on light duty after an occupational injury. But other state or federal laws may require employer your employer to accommodate your light duty work restrictions or to protect your job while you have work restrictions.

Oregon for example requires employers with six or more workers to accommodate a returning worker whose doctor authorizes a return to work with light duty work restrictions. Many employers will try to minimize an employee s wage loss by offering a light duty position during this time. Here are some examples of light duty work. This reduces the amount of workers comp benefits paid to the employee and can ultimately lower the employer s insurance premium costs.

By far the most expensive part of many workers compensation claims is the indemnity benefit paid to the injured worker for lost wages. Employers are not obligated to offer light duty work to employees seeking to return to work after an on the job injury. Such temporary modifications are called light duty limited duty or modified duty assignments. Taking inventory performing administrative tasks supervising job sites working at a desk security monitoring.

A light duty position is one that accommodates the employee s work restrictions. If you injure yourself at work in pennsylvania and start to receive pa workers compensation benefits your employer may offer you light duty work which means doing a job that is less physically or mentally challenging than the tasks required in your full time job position. Under the workers compensation act no. Light or modified duty is a temporary adjusted work assignment given to a worker injured on the job in order to accommodate his or her physical limitations while recovering from the injury.

As a general rule employers are not obligated to offer light duty work to workers seeking to return after a work related injury. The purpose behind light duty work is to get you back to gainful employment and to help relieve the employer s burden of paying future workers compensation benefits.