Injured workers should hire workers comp lawyer in Los Angeles to help them file a claim. By working with an attorney, injured workers will know what to do when they can return to work.
After recovering from an injury while working, you can return to work after your doctor advises it. The return to work order works in various ways.
Your physician will issue a medical status. A temporary return to work order may be provided. Or your doctor may provide a permanent basis return to a work order. A return to work with restrictions on a permanent status may also be provided.
According to a Workers Comp Lawyer Los Angeles: When can You Return to Work?
If you have an acute injury or illness, you will be sent to a clinic or hospital to receive medical treatment. The doctor who will treat you is obligated to give you the proper treatment so you can return to work.
After seeing a doctor, you will receive a disability slip. The slip includes instructions to the employer regarding when you can return to work.
Unfortunately, your treating doctor will experience pressures from the employer and the insurance company. Hence, the motivation of your doctor to order a return to work will depend on several factors.
In workers’ compensation law, the reports of the physician and the medical evaluator will have equal weight. However, an agreed medical evaluation will have greater weight than the physician’s report.
Employers have various policies regarding return to work orders. Your employer may only honor the report of a certain physician. This doctor could be the same person who took you off of work. They may also have a contract that dictates which physician’s note should be honored.
Because of this insufficient transparency, a conflict about a return to work order may arise. For that reason, it is always ideal that you consult with a workers comp lawyer in Los Angeles.
Types of Return to Work
There are ways you, as an injured worker can return to work. As mentioned earlier, you can return to work temporarily or permanently.
One of the types of RTW is returning to full duty. In here, you can return to your full duty without any limitations. You will perform your usual responsibility and take your usual position before you got injured.
A return to light duty could mean that you can perform your obligations but with minimal physical demands. In a modified duty type of return to work, there are some limitations and restrictions.
In a return to alternative work, you can return to work but your duties will be different from your usual occupation. For instance, instead of working in a piece of machinery, you will be tasked to answer phones.
You can also return to work but with reduced hours. That is, you can work without limitations. However, you can only work for limited hours. For instance, if you have an eight-hour job, you can only work for four or five hours.
To help you determine your return to work order, make sure to consult with our workers comp lawyer in Los Angeles. We provide a free consultation when you call us at (213) 263-6131.
