Working While Receiving Workers’ Compensation Benefits
The good news is you can switch jobs while on workers’ compensation. Before you start a new job, talk to your doctor about your injuries and current abilities to make sure you’re physically ready for the new role.
After a serious work accident, many injured workers think about changing jobs or careers. You might look for a job in a safer field or find that a permanent injury stops you from going back to your old role. Either way, you may wonder how this change will affect your workers’ compensation claim and if your benefits will continue.
Talking to Your Doctor About Physical Restrictions Before Taking a New Job
While financial or personal reasons might make a new job appealing, returning to work too soon could hinder or prevent full recovery. Talk with your doctor about your work restrictions and ability to handle a light-duty position. If your doctor clears you for light duty but your current employer can’t accommodate your restrictions, finding alternative employment might be a viable solution.
What Are the Rules About Working While on Workers’ Compensation?
Exercise caution when deciding whether to work while receiving workers’ compensation. Returning to work in a lesser role, at reduced pay, or on light duty in your current position may qualify you for partial benefits. However, if you’re fully disabled and collecting workers’ compensation (often called temporary total disability or TTD), you cannot take another job and receive payment. Conceal such work from the insurance company, and they might place you under surveillance. Engaging in fraud not only fails to pay off but also leads to serious legal consequences.
If you can handle light-duty work or a reduced role, take it on. You will still receive workers’ compensation benefits based on partial disability. For example, if your normal weekly paycheck is $1,000 and your light-duty wages are $700, you will receive $200 in temporary partial disability benefits ($1,000 – $700 = $300 x 2/3 = $200). Adjust these benefits weekly, as light-duty wages often vary. Our team gathers the necessary data, calculates your benefits, and ensures the insurance company delivers all the benefits you deserve.
Many people who suffer serious work injuries want to return quickly, but you should wait until your doctor clears you. Start with light duty or a different role to ensure you’re healthy before tackling more demanding tasks. Clients who take on light-duty or modified roles often continue to receive payments from the insurance company to cover the difference in their earning power. This strategy also helps them maintain a positive relationship with their employer, a common concern for workers who are not working.
Key Points to Remember If You’re Considering New or Additional Employment
1. Your benefits cannot be canceled solely because you change jobs.
2. Your benefits cannot be canceled if you accept light-duty work that pays a reduced salary.
3. Your benefits cannot be canceled solely because you take a different, lesser-paying job.
Your weekly workers’ compensation benefits should continue until you are released by your doctor to return to your regular job or until you start another job that pays more than you earned before the injury.
Are You Unsure About What to Do Next After a Serious Injury? Get the Help You Need Now
After a serious work injury, especially one requiring surgery, you need an attorney to protect your rights and secure the compensation you deserve. Our attorneys have decades of experience and have helped thousands of injured workers navigate this complex system. We are ready to assist you at every step, whether your claim was initially denied or the insurance company has approached you about a settlement. Starting is easy, and we promise to quickly provide the information you need.
Call us today at 203-393-3320 to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation. If you’d like to schedule a call at a later date, click here. Let us help you on your road to recovery.