Do you have workers’ compensation questions related to the COVID-19 coronavirus?

Light Duty Jobs – A Change in the Law

When your doctor releases you to go back to work after a work injury, your employer may offer you a light duty job.  If you have been injured, you probably want to get better and go back to work as quickly as possible.  Sometimes, though, you may be asked to come back too soon or to do a job that is too hard for you.

If your employer offers you a light duty job, it is important to understand how this affects your rights.  Many times, trying the light duty job will likely mean the difference between getting a workers’ compensation check and not getting one.

Besides the immediate effect this will have on your family’s weekly income and ability to pay your bills, it can impact your entire workers’ compensation claim.  There are a few things you need to know to avoid potential traps that could damage your case.

Light duty jobs may not always be as easy as your employer saysRules of Light Duty Job Offers

Many insurance companies will try to get your doctor to say you can return to light duty work as soon as possible.  Sometimes, they will try to get the doctor to say you could go back to light duty work the same day you had surgery.

If the insurance company succeeds in getting the doctor to release you to light duty work, they try to get your employer to offer a job they claim is within the doctor’s limitations.  Unfortunately, the light duty job that is offered to you will sometimes not really be suitable.  It may require you to do more than your doctor wants.

You want to get better and get back to work, but be careful.  There are dangers lurking here that you need to consider, especially when your employer follows the rules laid out in O.C.G.A. §34-9-240 and Board Rule 240.

What are these rules in O.C.G.A. §34-9-240 and Board Rule 240?

O.C.G.A. §34-9-240 and Board Rule 240 are special procedures set up under Georgia’s workers’ compensation law for your employer to offer you a light duty job.  These procedures determine whether you will get a workers’ compensation check or not when you try a light duty job but cannot continue doing it.

These rules call for the employer to use forms provided by the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation including:

  • A form WC-240A (a job description submitted to your treating physician for approval), and
  • A form WC-240 (the actual notice that the light duty job is being offered).

When the insurance company uses these forms, you have to be very careful.  Failing to follow the rules can result in you not receiving a workers’ compensation check for many months while you wait to go to court about your case.

Should I Attempt the Light Duty Job

The insurance company might stop your workers’ compensation benefit check if you do not try the job.  O.C.G.A. §34-9-240 provides that an insurance company may suspend benefits immediately if you refuse suitable work that is offered to you on the specified Georgia State Board forms.

In most case, trying the job is your best option.  If you try the job for more than eight (8) hours but have to stop it after less than fifteen (15) scheduled work days, the law requires the insurance company to restart your workers’ compensation checks immediately.

The insurance company can still contest your right to further workers’ compensation benefits.  But, they must file for a hearing with a judge who will decide whether the job that has been offered to you is suitable.  The important difference is that you should receive your check while you are waiting on your court date.

If you don’t try the light duty job and the insurance company stops your check, you probably will not have any income until a judge rules in your favor (many months later).  Because trying the light duty job will likely mean the difference between getting a check and not, it is usually in your best interests to try the job and see if you can do it.

If you are able to do the job, you should get full pay instead of the reduced weekly amount that workers’ compensation pays.  Sometimes, the light duty job will pay a reduced rate.  In that situation, you should get temporary partial disability benefits.

What if I know I will not be able to do the light duty job?

You may be familiar with the “light duty” job being offered by your employer.  Sometimes, it is not really a light duty job.  Sometimes, the job description your employer gave the doctor is not accurate.

Do you need to attempt the job if you know you are not going to be able to perform it? Before the change in the law in 2013, the answer was easier.  It was almost always best to just try the job.

If you were only able to do the job for an hour or two before not being able to continue, that time was still considered attempting the job.  But the change in the law in 2013, which is discussed in the next section, made that analysis more complicated.

You need to understand Georgia's workers' compensation laws before returning to a light duty job

What if I cannot work eight hours?

Until 2013, Georgia’s law did not have a minimum time requirement for trying the job.  The Georgia legislature changed the law in 2013 to create this eight hour requirement.

This change created potential problems for injured workers who are not up to date on the law:

First, many light duty job offers are not for “full time” work.  Your employer may offer you a shift that is less than eight hours per day.  In this situation, you will have to report to work more than one day to meet the eight hour requirement. That can be a problem.  If the first day causes increased pain, you may not be able to work the next day.

Unfortunately, the law does not provide an exception in that situation.  Also, the law is not entirely clear about what hours at work count.  The safest route would exclude break and lunch times when counting the eight hours.  This way, your employer or their insurance company will have less opportunity to dispute the sufficiency of the attempt.

Also, what if you go in to try the job but just cannot make it eight hours?  Does this mean the insurance company does not restart your check and you have wait to go to court before your check gets restarted?

The 2013 change in the law combined created some very complicated situations when combined with the other special procedures of O.C.G.A. §34-9-240 and Board Rule 240.  There are solutions, but the best solution requires a good understanding of the law as well as an analysis of the particular facts of your case.

How To Avoid the Pitfalls When Returning to a Light Duty Job

This is a highly technical and tricky area of Georgia workers’ compensation law.  It is important to know what your options are before you actually return to attempt the light duty job.

The law requires the insurance company to follow certain rules.  Our workers’ compensation attorneys find that employers and insurance companies sometimes do not follow all these steps.

Since very step in this process can affect whether you will continue to receive workers’ compensation income benefits, you should consult with a workers’ compensation attorney as soon as you become aware that your employer wants to bring you back to work on light duty.

 

What if I have other questions about workers compensation?

Georgia’s workers compensation system can be very confusing.  You have to worry about getting the treatment you need and paying your bills while also worrying about not missing any deadlines that could cause you to lose your right to receive workers compensation benefits.

If you have questions, I would recommend that you try to get answers.  To find out more about how to schedule a time to talk to me about your workers compensation questions, just read this short article.

Jason Perkins is an attorney who specializes in representing injured workers.  He regularly publishes videos and write blog articles about Georgia’s workers compensation system and issues that are important to injured workers and their families.

To be notified of Jason’s new workers compensation videos, subscribe to his Georgia Workers Compensation Video Series channel on YouTube by clicking the subscribe button below.

It took me probably too long to finally get a lawyer when my work comp claim started and I had no idea what I should do. I read reviews and upon recommendation of several people started the process of getting a lawyer. I am fortunate and lucky to have come across Perkins Studdard. Jason and his team has taken care of me since the moment I first called them and made sure any and all questions I had were answered as well as working hard to get me my settlement so I can continue receiving treatment. If you're looking for a good law firm to represent you in your worker's compensation case I would highly highly recommend this one.Autumn Fields
I highly recommend Perkins Law Firm. Throughout the whole process Perkins team kept me updated and explained everything very well. I am very pleased with their work. You will not be disappointed!!trina flornce
Mr. Perkins and team...Tina* they have all been so awesome. Always available to talk to me with any concerns. Kept me informed on my case all the way. Greatly appreciated!Missy Cherry
Amazing! Jason and his team were very helpful and had the best communication by far. Walked me though every step with great detail and had answers for any question I had. They handled my case better then I could imagine, it was a weird case and they stayed on top of it and kept me updated every step of the way! Highly recommend this Team! Thanks so much to Jason and his Awesome team! -BrittneyBrittney-lee orourke
This law firm is very good at what it does the staff and the lawyer's that were involved with my case all were very perfesional and curious I couldn't ask for a better law firm I want to thank everyone for a great job thanks Les RyanLeslie Ryan
I absolutely love this group of attorneys, when I was at my lowest they did everything they could to help me get justice for my injury. I believe if I were to have never picked my phone up and called the amazing group that helped me I definitely would not have received my idea of rights. If you have an issue and are just not sure please understand that they will help you, stay in contact, answer any question you have, and for sure get you the justice you deserve I thank them from the bottom of my heart and I will definitely refer them to anyone who has been hurt because they most definitely care about their work and clients.China Jones
The entire law office was attentive and responsive to all of my concerns dealing with my workers compensation case.Luv Locs
If you must get a lawyer involved, you’d do well to work with Jason Perkins and his team at Perkins Studdard Law. They were thorough in gathering information and in sharing all the steps in the workers comp process specific to my case. Jason and the team were responsive to my bevy of questions and concerns. I appreciated the informative videos and consultations provided by Jason over video meetings and multiple phone calls. I hope I’m never injured on the job again. However, if I am and if my employer responds as my previous employer did, I’ll contact Perkins Studdard Law immediately to handle the case.moombi
Everyone at Perkins Studdard was kind and professional. They were always extremely responsive and answered all questions that I had and followed up to make sure I had an understanding of what was going on along with emailing videos to explain every step of my case so I would know what to expect and be prepared. Jason is a very genuine person and I trusted him with my case. He answered so many questions for me even before I retained him as my WC lawyer. I highly recommend him and his associates at Perkins Studdard.Dana Bess
Great staff and very knowlegable. They treat you like family and work hard to get you what you need. Highly recommended.Josh Carter

Related Posts

Contrast:

Font Size:

Jason Perkins

Workers' Compensation Attorney

Interested in more Workers Compensation information?

I’ll help you understand the workers' compensation process and how to get the benefits you deserve.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.