When employees are injured on the job, they may choose to file for workers’ compensation. Work injury insurance is meant to cover numerous expenses that can result from an employee injuring him or herself, including medical bills and lost wages. One expense that it can cover, that Colorado employees may not even be aware of, is the cost of rehabilitation. Some employees cannot work at their former position due to the injury and have rehabilitation rights that would help them find new employment, either with their original company or somewhere else.
Vocational rehabilitation can help employees find new employment and even to apply for the job. It can also provide job training, education, tuition payment and offer several other services. What an employee is entitled to will be dependent on the scope of the employee’s injury and personal circumstances. Employees are asked to cooperate if the services are provided and may even have their benefits reduced if they do not.
Employers’ responsibilities vary across the country. In Colorado, employers are requested to offer vocational rehabilitation that covers travel, tuition and maintenance costs that are equivalent in value to the cost of temporary total disability. Any involved party can end vocational rehabilitation at any time, provided that 14 days of written notice is given beforehand to all other entities.
Some employees may still have questions about their rehabilitation rights. Having them answered by a competent source can offer peace of mind. It is important for those who have been injured on the job to remember that it is their right to file for benefits.
Source: FindLaw, “Rehabilitation Rights of Injured Workers“, , Sept. 8, 2014
