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In 2023, nearly 85,000 Ohio workers were injured on the job. More than half of them had to take time off, switch roles, or work under new restrictions, and for many, that meant a light-duty assignment.
Light-duty work is typically offered when you’re cleared to return but can’t perform your regular job in full. It allows you to stay employed while following your doctor’s restrictions.
However, accepting a modified role can also affect your workers’ compensation benefits, potentially reducing your income and limiting the additional support you might be eligible for.
Here’s what you need to know about how light-duty work impacts your compensation and how a skilled Cleveland workers’ compensation lawyer can help protect the benefits you deserve.
Light-duty work is a job or tasks that match an injured worker’s medical restrictions. These duties are usually less physically demanding than the worker’s regular position.
Examples of modified assignments include:
Employers must follow your medical restrictions and provide reasonable accommodations to ensure a safe return to the workplace.
For instance, a healthcare worker recovering from a shoulder injury might be given a seated role that avoids lifting or patient handling. In construction, an injured worker may be assigned to planning tasks in an office trailer to prevent exposure to heavy equipment or uneven ground.
Injured employees must follow up regularly with their treating physician as part of the workers’ compensation process. After a period of recovery, the doctor will reassess the worker’s condition and submit an updated report to the employer.
Here’s what usually happens next:
This process helps determine whether returning to work is possible within medical limits.
Accepting light-duty work changes both the type and amount of workers’ compensation benefits you may receive. Once you begin a modified role:
For example, if your pre-injury wages were $800 per week, TT benefits would pay you $533 while you’re completely off work.
You return to a light-duty job that pays $500 per week. In this case, TT benefits stop, but wage loss compensation may add about $198 to bridge the gap.
In most cases, turning down a light-duty position that matches your medical restrictions, without a valid reason, can result in reduced or suspended benefits.
Reasons that may justify declining a light-duty offer:
If you’re unsure about a light-duty offer or how it might affect your benefits, an experienced workers’ compensation attorney can:
Accepting light-duty work doesn’t mean losing your workers’ compensation benefits, but it can change what you receive. If your pay has dropped, your new duties feel unsafe, or you’re unsure about the offer, contact our law firm for a free consultation and guidance.
We help injured workers across Cleveland understand their options and protect their right to compensation.
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