Workers’ Compensation Attorney Helping Injured Workers With Vocational Rehabilitation
Protecting Your Right to Supplemental Job Displacement Benefits After a Disabling Injury
When you suffer an injury on the job in California, you are entitled to certain benefits. Workers’ compensation insurance covers your access to healthcare, a portion of your lost wages, and certain other benefits. If your injury has caused you to be unable to return to your previous job, the Workers’ Compensation Act requires that your employer pays for your vocational rehabilitation.
If you’ve suffered a permanent, disabling injury and need help understanding and pursuing your rights, the workers’ compensation and vocational rehabilitation attorney at Invictus Law has your back. Our vocational rehabilitation legal team will walk you through your legal rights and your options for compensation, retraining, education, and placement. We’ll help you get your life back on track after your accident. Call Invictus Law today to answer all your questions about vocational rehabilitation and get you back in the workforce as soon as possible.
What is Vocational Rehabilitation?
Vocational rehabilitation, now more commonly called supplemental job displacement benefits, is a form of benefits available to individuals who have suffered a permanent disability. Workers who are unable to return to their former job as a result of a disabling injury can obtain vocational rehabilitation or supplemental job displacement benefits to cover the costs of new training necessary to re-enter the workforce in a different position.
In California, vocational rehabilitation benefits take the form of a supplemental job displacement benefits voucher. The voucher can be used by an injured worker to pay for training in the skills necessary to obtain a new job in a different field. The voucher can be used to pay for a variety of costs associated with education and retraining, including tuition, career counseling, exam prep courses and materials, books, computer equipment, and other resources.
How Much Can You Collect in Supplemental Job Displacement Benefits?
The supplemental job displacement benefits voucher is meant to cover the costs to train you to re-enter the workforce in a new position or field. If you were injured between 2004 and 2012, the voucher can be worth anywhere between $4,000 and $10,000, depending upon the severity of your disability. For injuries occurring after 2012, the benefit is a flat $6,000 voucher that can be used for a wide range of purposes.
Eligibility for Vocational Rehabilitation
To be eligible for supplemental job displacement benefits, the worker must satisfy certain requirements. The worker must have a permanent partial disability, meaning an injury that permanently alters the worker’s ability to perform their job duties. The worker must be unable to return to their prior job.
If the worker’s employer offers regular, modified, or alternative work that the worker can perform, the worker is not entitled to the supplemental job displacement benefits. The regular work must be at the same salary, while the modified or alternative work must be at least 85% of the employee’s prior salary. In either case, the replacement work must be within a reasonable commuting distance, or the worker must waive their right to a reasonable commute.
Call Invictus Law For Help With Vocational Rehabilitation Claims in Orange County and the Inland Empire
If you’ve been severely injured on the job in California and need help obtaining worker’s compensation benefits, including job retraining and replacement benefits, contact an experienced, thorough, and effective Orange County workers’ compensation vocational rehabilitation lawyer at Invictus Law at 949-287-5711, serving Orange County and the Inland Empire with offices in Orange and Ontario.
