What is a Light-Duty Assignment in a Worker’s Comp Case?

Any time that someone is injured while in the workplace, he or she is entitled to receive worker’s compensation from their employer to cover all medical expenses related to that injury. This is a right granted to all workers, regardless of situation or severity of the injury. During the recovery time, depending on the nature of the injury, an employee might not be able to work and can be compensated, to some degree at least, for lost wages. Another option is taking on a light-duty assignment. What exactly does this entail?

A light-duty assignment is any kind of job that does not require intense physical labor to complete. It is often granted to employees that are recovering from an injury because they are unable to perform their normal work. Thus, a light-duty assignment is an alternative to completely having to stay home from work. It also grants the employee to make their full salary, rather than relying on a lost wages clause in a worker’s comp claim or disability insurance.

Depending on the nature of the employee’s position and the company in general, it may not be possible to place an employee on light-duty. If there is no such position available or it would be impossible to do that person’s normal job while maintaining a light-duty setup, then it is not something the company could make happen. As a show of good faith, companies are obligated to try to create a light-duty opportunity for recovering workers if at all possible. The employee should still be careful while performing any kind of work to prevent a setback in recovery and should never consider such work without a doctor’s notice saying that he or she can.

If you have been injured while on the job and your employer is denying you worker’s compensation, you have the right to file a lawsuit against them. To learn about how we at the Franco Law Firm can help you through this process, and to schedule a free consultation with us, please call (813) 872-0929.