Workers who get hurt on the job can file a claim with their employers to receive workers’ comp benefits. Workers’ compensation in Minnesota can provide you with various financial benefits, including covering the cost of vocational rehabilitation to help you effectively return to the workforce. But when can an injured employee qualify for vocational rehabilitation after a work injury in Minnesota?
What Is Vocational Rehabilitation?
Vocational rehabilitation is a series of benefits designed to help injured workers return to the workforce -even when they cannot go back to their usual job duties. These services can include help with medical management, vocational counseling, resume/interview prep, skills analysis, as well as job search, placement assistance, and retraining.
Vocational rehabilitation focuses on achieving one of two outcomes for an injured worker:
- Restoring the worker to a job related to their former employment
- Returning the worker to a job in another line of work or industry that helps them achieve an economic status as close as possible to what they enjoyed at the time of injury.
Who Qualifies for Vocational Rehabilitation in Minnesota?
A worker may obtain vocational rehabilitation help when they have a work injury that appears likely to prevent them from returning to their old job.
The Vocational Rehabilitation Process
The vocational rehabilitation process begins when an injured worker receives a referral to a Qualified Rehabilitation Consultant (QRC) for services. The referral may come from the workers’ compensation insurer or the injured worker’s attorney. It is important to know that you get to choose your own QRC; you do not have to take the one the insurance company chooses. Because the QRC can have a large impact on how portions of your claim progress, it is very advisable to consult with an attorney on this decision.
After a referral, the QRC will evaluate the worker’s need for vocational rehabilitation – determining what kinds of services the worker can benefit from, based on their injury, education/training, skills, and work experience. The QRC will work with the injured worker and their employer/insurer to develop a rehabilitation plan that includes appropriate services, such as medical management, working with the employer to find suitable work, and, if that can’t happen, skills testing, job placement programs, or resume/interview counseling, job search assistance, and retraining.
What If My Employer Denies My Request for Vocational Rehabilitation?
Employers or insurers may deny a request for vocational rehabilitation for several reasons, such as denying liability for the worker’s injury altogether or illness or arguing that the worker can return to their old job. When an employer or insurer denies vocational rehabilitation services, the injured worker or their attorney can object and get a hearing before a workers’ compensation judge, who will decide whether the employer or insurer must cover the cost of the worker’s vocational rehabilitation.
In addition, when the insurance company refuses to pay for these benefits, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry’s Vocational Rehabilitation Unit can also help, stepping in to provide benefits to injured workers whose employers or insurers denied their workers’ comp claims.
Contact a Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
Workers in Minnesota who have suffered work-related injuries or illnesses often require vocational rehabilitation to assist them in returning to the workforce. If you’ve suffered a workplace accident, an attorney can help you pursue vocational rehabilitation benefits you’re entitled to. Contact Meshbesher Law Firm today for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your options with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer.
