The Intelligent Insurance Solution

Staying in or Returning to Work

Following a work related injury or illness, a safe and timely opportunity to return to work benefits you by enhancing recovery, reducing disability, and minimizing social and economic disruption. This is exactly why your employer, through a coordinated effort with the Trust, may provide a special program to assist you in getting back to your job duties on a full time basis. This special program, commonly referred to as “Light Duty”, “Transitional Work”, or “Modified Duty” is specifically designed to ease the pivotal period from injury to return to full time job duties.

  • What does Light Duty, Transitional Work, or Restricted Duty consist of? – These terms are used when your medical restrictions temporarily prohibit you from doing your normal tasks associated with your regular job. By modifying your job, or giving you a completely separate job that is not as physically demanding, it allows you the opportunity to do productive work during your period of recovery with the goal of returning to your normal job sooner.
  • What will I get paid if I’m not doing my regular job? – If the job modification results in reduced hours or reduced pay, you may be entitled to wage differential benefits issued by the Trust.  We encourage you to contact your claims representative to get a more detailed explanation concerning wage differential benefits
  • How will I get paid if my employer cannot accommodate my work restrictions and I need to perform Job Searches? – If you are released to some type of light or restricted duty, but your employer cannot accommodate the restrictions, you will be required to conduct job searches to continue temporary partial benefits. 
  • What happens if the medical provider gives me work restrictions, but I refuse to perform available Light Duty, Transitional Work, or Modified Duty? – If you refuse to work in a light or restricted duty job offered by your employer, you may forfeit your right to receive temporary partial benefits.  The wages offered by your employer are taken as earnings and will be used to determine what, if any, further benefit you are entitled.

The Trust has resources available to you to help with your Return to Work efforts.

Robb Wright, OTR/L, is a licensed occupational therapist and focuses on working directly with you, the injured worker, in collaboration with your treating provider and employer to keep you at work in a productive and safe role while you recover from your injury.  Over the past several years, Robb has helped many employees stay at work or return back to work following an injury, thus minimizing the negative financial and emotional impact of long term workplace absences. 

If you would like to learn more about how Robb may help you in your Return to Work efforts, please call your assigned claim representative or contact him directly at (203) 678-0185 or via email at wright@wctrust.com.