Blog

What to Know About Vocational Rehabilitation

December 9, 2020 0 Comment Category: Care Center

Vocational rehabilitation refers to an array of services that are designed to help injured workers recover and regain the skills required to return to their jobs or find new employment. Vocational rehab is offered as part of workers’ compensation if the individual has suffered an injury on the worksite. Below are a few important things that you should know about workers’ compensation vocational rehab.

Employers May Request to Provide Vocational Rehab

The employer may provide vocational rehabilitation to the employee involved in workers’ compensation claims to help them recover from the injury and get back to work as quickly as possible. In such a case, the injured individual will have to comply with the services offered by the employer to address their specific problems at the expense of the employer.

Injured Persons May Request to Receive Vocational Rehab

The injured employee may also request vocational rehabilitation to get back to their normal routines quickly. If the person is deemed unable to perform their previous job roles, and if the primary care physician and rehabilitation specialist see that vocational rehab is necessary to get another employment, then the employer will have to bear the expenses of the rehabilitative services provided to the individual.

Vocational Rehab Involves a Wide Range of Services

Vocational rehab may include many types of valuable services for the injured person, which will depend upon the specific conditions as well as the needs of the individual. It may cover things like job site assessment and accommodations, skills analysis and testing, assistive technology and devices, resume and employment application assistance, vocational counseling and evaluation, and training, education, and job placement services.

All of these assistive services provided by the rehab are designed to facilitate speedy recovery and return to employment with comparable compensation. Apart from that, workers’ compensation vocational rehab can also benefit those who look forward to getting back to their employment and independent life by assisting them with restoring their self-esteem and financial security. In turn, this can also help to reduce the costs involved in workers’ compensation claims for the employers and other stakeholders.

How vocational rehab benefits are paid may differ from state to state. Some states may even put a cap on the amount and/or period of vocational rehab services that the injured employee may receive. In any case, there are many potential benefits of providing the needed support and care services through workers’ compensation vocational rehab, most important of which is the restored ability to return to productivity after a workplace injury.

Contact Foothill Heights to speak with us about our rehabilitative services.