On the Job Injury – Vocational Rehab
You have the right to vocational rehabilitation after you have suffered an injury or illness that occurred on the job. The idea behind vocational rehab is to aid you in recovering and rebuilding as much as possible, even with injury-related limitations; and to get you back in to the workforce.
The New Jersey Department of Labor is required to provide this service to you, along with other workers’ compensation benefits. Depending on the nature of your injury or illness, and your medical limitations, you may not be able to return to the same job, especially if you have permanent and/or disabling limitations.
If you cannot return to your old job, even in a limited, part-time manner, the Department of Labor is required to provide you with vocational rehabilitation. For you to keep receiving workers compensation benefits, you must cooperate with the rehab.
In situations like these, the Rehabilitation Specialist may determine whether you have transferable skills that you can use in another less demanding job. You may potentially be retrained out of your old profession entirely, and learn new work skills that will accommodate your limitations. It can be helpful to discuss your situation with an experienced workers compensation attorney so that you understand your right and responsibilities at every stage of a work rehab situation.
- Rehabilitation services run the gamut, including:
- Vocational counseling
- Transferable skills analysis and testing
- Skills training
- Emotional counseling
- Physical therapy
- Interview coaching
- Labor-market surveys
- Job search assistance
You will be required to work with the vocational rehabilitation service that is appropriate for your situation. The idea behind this is for you to achieve an appropriate level of employment based on your temporary or permanent disability. Additionally, if you do not cooperate, you could potentially have your benefits reduced – or cut off entirely.
Visit our website at http://www.haroldgerrlaw.com/vocational-rehabilitation/
New Jersey Workers Compensation and Rehab Attorney
The central New Jersey law office of Harold J. Gerr, Attorney at Law represents clients who have been injured on the job in workers compensation and vocational rehabilitation matters. We also protect the rights of those who have been injured or lost loved ones in personal injury and wrongful death accidents, including work accidents. We have been fighting for the rights of the injured for three decades.
Our workers comp and personal injury law firm carefully selects the cases we handle, so that we can provide the highest levels of service and personal attention to each client. Contact us online or call our office at 732-537-8570 (toll-free at 1-877-249-4600).
