Every day, thousands of Minnesotans go to work in order to support themselves and loved ones. Without this stream of income, families may obviously feel at a loss about how to move forward. Of course, an injured worker might feel this same anxiety.
In some cases, a work-related injury may be serious enough to prevent a person from being able to work during recovery. Thankfully, most employers in the state are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance to help provide coverage for any medical bills or lost wages. Without a doubt, having this type of support can help bridge a financial gap in a time of need.
The ultimate goal for most injured workers is to return to health with the hope of getting back to the job. For many people, recovery time may be minimal, but this obviously depends on the injury. On the other hand, however, for more complex cases, the length of recovery may create its own barriers to re-entering the workforce.
Namely, people may lose their skills to complete a particular job, due to industry-wide changes or physical limitations. One thing that workers can do to help meet this challenge is to request vocational rehabilitation, which could include career counseling, job placement or formal re-training. Through this service, workers can get the help they need to earn an income again.
According to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, this is training that employers might be required to pay for as part of workers’ compensation. Again, this type of coverage may provide much-needed relief to individuals harboring anxiety about the ability to return to work in the wake of recovery.
Source: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, “Workers’ compensation — Claim process,” accessed May 19, 2014