When you’ve been injured on the job, the severity of your injury may require a long-term healing process that will be overseen by your medical provider. After you’ve filed your Connecticut workers’ compensation claim your progress will be monitored.
Depending on your injuries you may not be able to go back to your previous job for quite a while. That doesn’t mean however that you can’t go back to work for your employer in some capacity. This is where your medical provider can clear you for “light duty” work and send you back to your employer to see if they have a position you can help fill while you continue to heal.
For example, if you’ve broken your leg while on the job and your regular job requires that you stand all day, you may not be able to return to your job for weeks or months until your leg heals fully. However, your employer may have a position where you can sit and still fulfill a duty that that employer needs to have done, this is called “light duty.”
Once you have been cleared for “light duty” by your medical provider your employer will attempt to look for a position for you. If they do not have one that fits into your capacity you are required to fill out a form with evidence of a job search you have conducted to find something that is “light duty” work while you continue to heal. You must contact at least five potential employers each week and submit the signed forms to your employer’s insurance company.
While “light duty” work does require you to learn a new role at the company it also allows you to return to work more quickly and therefore earn a wage while continuing to heal.
If you or a loved one have been injured on the job, one of our board certified workers’ compensation attorneys can help you navigate your claim. Contact us immediately.
