On-the-job injuries can cause a variety of challenges. A professional may need leave from work until they heal. They may have medical expenses to address. Their employer may need to temporarily replace them until they can return to work safely.
Getting back on the job quickly is usually the best outcome for everyone in a work injury scenario. However, an employer might want the worker back even before they fully heal. Who decides when an employee is capable of safely returning to their position?
A doctor decides a worker’s capabilities
After an employee initiates a workers’ compensation claim, a physician manages their treatment. That doctor determines what care they require and whether their condition impacts their ability to perform job functions.
In some cases, physicians can provide information about functional limitations and support needs so that injured employees can get right back to work the next day. Other times, a physician can monitor the worker’s improvement and mandate time off until it is clear that they can perform job functions when their symptoms subside.
In scenarios where workers achieve maximum medical improvement (MMI) and are unlikely to respond to additional treatment, a physician may determine that they are safe to return to work or that they cannot perform the same job functions without ongoing accommodations.
Workers need to be proactive about communicating their ongoing symptoms to the physicians overseeing their workers’ compensation treatment. They may also need to make use of their right to appeal unfavorable decisions, including a determination that they are ready to return to work.
Having support while healing from a work injury and navigating a workers’ compensation claim can help employees avoid dangerous situations. Those who are not yet ready to go back to work may need help making sense of their legal rights, and that’s okay.
