Vocational Retraining After A Serious Work Injury
Many workers are unfamiliar with vocational retraining or vocational rehabilitation. It is a benefit available to injured workers who qualify for the services. Vocational retraining can provide the help an injured worker needs to return to the workforce. In this blog, our Savannah workers’ compensation attorneys discuss vocational rehabilitation.
What Is Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits in a Savannah Workers’ Compensation Case?
Workers’ compensation covers vocational rehabilitation for workers who sustain catastrophic injuries. The services provide individuals with the skills, training, and help they need to obtain and maintain employment.
Examples of vocational rehabilitation include, but are not limited to:
- Vocational evaluations
- Job placement services, such as interview coaching and resume assistance
- On-the-job training
- Tuition payment
- Education programs for retraining
- Wage assessment evaluation
- Career counseling
- Working with employers to obtain job modifications for employees
Workers who cannot return to their old jobs because of a work injury can find other employment. However, workers who qualify for vocational rehabilitation must use them. Failing to try to obtain retraining could result in losing other workers’ compensation benefits.
Who Qualifies for Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits Under Georgia Workers’ Compensation Laws?
A worker must sustain catastrophic injuries to qualify for vocational retraining benefits. Georgia Code §34-9-200.1 requires employers to provide necessary and reasonable rehabilitation services to employees with catastrophic injuries.
The code section defines catastrophic injuries as:
- Spinal cord injury that involves paralysis of a leg, an arm, or the trunk
- Loss of the use of a hand, a leg, a foot, or an arm because of an amputation
- Closed head injury or severe brain injury
- Industrial or total blindness
- Second or third-degree burns covering 25% of the body as a whole or third-degree burns over the hands or face
- Other injuries that prevent the worker from performing the work they did before the accident or work available in substantial numbers that the worker is otherwise qualified to perform
An injured worker should continue receiving their disability benefits until their injury improves or they can return to work. If they do not earn as much at a new job, they may qualify for partial disability benefits.
How Do I Receive Vocational Rehabilitation for a Work-Related Injury in Georgia?
Seek immediate medical treatment for job-related injuries. Even minor injuries should be treated by a physician. You never know when an injury may worsen and result in a catastrophic disability.
Report your injury to your employer as soon as possible. Under the Georgia Workers’ Compensation Act, you only have 30 days to report the work injury. Failing to report your injury before the deadline results in losing workers’ compensation benefits.
Prepare and file the documents for a workers’ compensation claim. You have one year to file a claim with the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation (SBWC).
Completing the forms and navigating the workers’ compensation system can be challenging for an employee with a catastrophic injury. You must follow all steps and meet all deadlines to receive benefits. A workers’ compensation lawyer can handle the claims process for you so you can focus on your recovery.
Schedule a Consultation With Our Savannah Workers’ Compensation Attorneys for More Information
Disabilities from workplace injuries can have life-altering impacts. Contact Parsons Law Group to talk with one of our Savannah workers’ compensation attorneys. We can help you pursue the benefits you deserve for a work-related injury.