Do I Have to Participate in Vocational Rehabilitation?

Often times, when a person is injured at work, they end up with permanent restrictions that prevent the employee from going back to the job that he or she had at the time of the injury. This can be a very scary time for the employee and their family, because at first glance it looks like that income has been taken away.

There are options though if you find yourself or a family member in this situation. The workers’ compensation insurance carrier will usually offer vocational rehabilitation to that employee. Vocational Rehabilitation can mean different things: either help finding a job or being retrained to find another job within his or her restrictions.

But what if you don’t want to participate in vocational rehabilitation? Arkansas Code Annotated. § 11-9-505 tells us that if vocational rehabilitation is offered by the workers’ compensation insurance company, and injured worker refuses….he won’t receive wage loss benefits or vocational rehabilitation. Basically, the insurance carrier get to keep money that you may have otherwise been entitled to. That might not seem fair, but a Rainwater, Holt & Sexton attorney can help you navigate the issue of vocational rehabilitation and what would work best for you to maximize your workers’ compensation benefits.