Those who suffer an injury at work are typically entitled to collect workers’ compensation temporary disability benefits if they are not medically cleared to go back to work. This can be a lifesaver for families, but it is only a percentage of the employee’s salary and may not be enough to keep up with bills. TSome workers may be tempted to go back to work regardless of how severe the injury.
It is best to consult your doctor
Those injured on the job should generally heed the advice of their doctor or authorized medical professional, although a second opinion can be prudent. The doctor will consider the physical and mental demands of the job and determine whether they can authorize a return to work.
Obviously, those doing physically demanding jobs will need to wait longer or get an accommodation to perform only certain job functions upon return to work. If there are no job positions that accommodate the injury, the worker can wait until the health care provider authorized by the workers’ compensation insurance company determines an employee will not benefit from further treatment as has met what is known as maximum medical improvement or “MMI.”
Those who try to return to work before they are authorized to run the risk of further injuries, which may lengthen recovery time. The employee may also suffer subsequent injuries that are more severe than the initial ones.
Determining the best possible outcome
There may be a lot of questions during the injured worker’s recovery. The worker’s compensation attorneys at Goldstein, Ballen, O’Rourke & Wildstein, P.C. are here to guide you through the process if you’ve been injured at work.