If you’ve has been seriously injured at work, you know that along with physical pain often comes economic uncertainty, even if you’re eligible for workers’ compensation. These worries don’t always go away when you’ve recovered enough to return to work.
Ideally, your former employer will welcome you back with open arms. But if you’ve been unable to work for a long period of time, your old job may not be waiting for you, or your injury may prevent you from performing your old job in the same way.
In these situations, you may be eligible for vocational rehabilitation services as part of your workers’ compensation under Minnesota law.
Vocational rehabilitation services are intended to help you return to a job similar to the one you had before you were injured, or, if this isn’t possible, to a different job that provides you with a similar standard of living.
Vocational rehabilitation services may include:
- Assistance modifying your job to fit your current abilities
- Assistance finding a new job
- Training necessary to obtain a suitable new job
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry provides rehabilitation counselors to help you through the process, and a workers’ compensation attorney can make sure you receive the compensation and services you’re entitled to.