VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION (VR):
• POTENTIALLY AVAILABLE ONLY FOR INJURY OCCURING BEFORE 1/1/04; NOT AVAILABLE FOR INJURY AFTER 1/1/04.
• If your doctor decides that you will not be able to return to your usual occupation or the job where you were injured at, you may be entitled to vocational rehabilitation benefits. If your injury is before 01/01/2004 these are limited benefits designed to assist injured workers return to the job market. A rehabilitation counselor will be selected by this office to assist you in your rehabilitation program. While you are actively participating in the program you will continue to receive either temporary disability, or vocational rehabilitation maintenance allowance once you are permanent and stationary.
• If it is likely you are going to be unable to return to your job, it is to your advantage to enter vocational rehabilitation as soon as possible, because if you are still temporary disabled you can receive temporary disability as described above. Once you are declared permanent and stationary, you will then be switched to vocational rehabilitation maintenance allowance, which only pays up to a maximum of $246.00 per week. This is obviously a tremendous drop in your benefit rate.
• You are allowed to supplement this rate with permanent disability advances to bring you up to the same rate you were receiving while on temporary disability; however, these advances are deducted directly from your final settlement.
• There have been significant changes to VR since February 2003. School vouchers are available for injuries from 1/1/04 to 5/30/04. You may be entitled to "cash out" these services for a lump sum; or, you may not be entitled to services at all. For injuries after 06/01/04, there is no longer a vocational rehabilitation benefit at all.