When you’re injured on the job in Georgia, your doctor may determine that you’re not ready to return to your regular job duties but can handle less strenuous tasks. These are known as light duty work restrictions, and they play a crucial role in your workers’ compensation case.
Light duty work might involve reduced hours, less physical labor, or different job responsibilities. However, navigating these restrictions can be confusing. If your employer has offered a light duty position, you should contact an experienced Atlanta workers compensation lawyer to understand your rights and responsibilities.
At Workers Compensation Lawyer Coalition, we are committed to ensuring injured workers receive fair treatment and the full benefits they deserve. Below, we answer some of the most common questions about light duty work restrictions in Georgia and how they can impact your workers’ compensation benefits.
What Are Light Duty Work Restrictions in Georgia Workers’ Compensation?
If you are not fully healed, a workers’ compensation doctor may approve you for light duty work rather than your regular job. Light duty work restrictions mean you can return to work with certain limitations based on your injury.
For example, your workers’ compensation doctor may limit how much you can lift, how long you can stand, or even how many hours you can work each day. The goal of these restrictions is to help you ease back into work without making your injury worse.
Employers must make reasonable accommodations for light duty work restrictions and cannot force you to perform tasks beyond what your doctor allows.
Who Decides Light Duty Work Restrictions?
A workers’ compensation doctor decides if you can return to your job with light duty work restrictions. The doctor will complete a form outlining what activities you can and cannot do. Based on the doctor’s report, your employer will determine if they have a suitable light-duty job.
If your employer offers a light duty job and you don’t know if it fits your work restrictions, contact a Peachtree City workers’ compensation lawyer for guidance.
What Are Common Examples of Work Restrictions?
After a workplace injury, your doctor may place light duty work restrictions to protect your health while you recover. These restrictions vary depending on your injury and may limit certain physical activities or work conditions.
Common work restrictions include:
- No heavy lifting: You may be restricted from lifting objects over a certain weight, such as no more than 10 or 20 pounds, to prevent further injury.
- Limited standing and walking: If your injury affects your legs, knees, or feet, you may be required to sit for most of your shift or take frequent breaks.
- Pushing and pulling restrictions: Tasks that require pushing carts, pulling equipment, or using heavy tools may be restricted to avoid straining muscles or joints.
- Limited repetitive tasks: If your injury affects your hands, wrists, or arms, your doctor may limit tasks like typing, assembly line work, or repetitive lifting.
- Driving restrictions: Your doctor may place restrictions on driving for work, such as fewer hours on the road.
- No Heavy Machinery: If you have a back, neck, or limb injury or are taking medication that affects alertness, you may not be allowed to operate heavy machinery.
- Shorter hours: You may only be able to work part-time while recovering to avoid fatigue and overexertion.
- No overtime: Your doctor may prohibit extra hours beyond your normal shift to prevent worsening your injury.
- Environmental restrictions: You may need to avoid certain work conditions, such as extreme temperatures, loud noise, or exposure to toxic chemicals, if they could interfere with your recovery.
How Does Light Duty Affect Workers’ Compensation Benefits?
When you return to work under light duty work restrictions, it can impact your workers’ compensation benefits in Georgia. If your light duty job pays the same as your previous job, your weekly benefits may stop. However, if you earn less money because of reduced hours or lighter tasks, you may still qualify for temporary partial disability (TPD) benefits to help make up for the difference.
Temporary partial disability (TPD) benefits assist workers who can return to work but earn less due to an injury. If your light duty job pays less than you made before, you could receive two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury wages and your current earnings. These benefits can last up to 350 weeks, depending on your injury and ability to work.
A Kennesaw workers’ compensation lawyer can help you obtain the maximum benefits.
Can You Refuse a Light Duty Job on Workers’ Compensation?
If your employer offers you a light-duty job that meets your doctor’s restrictions, you are expected to try it. If you attempt but cannot perform the duties for more than 15 days, you can still receive workers’ compensation benefits.
If you refuse a light duty job, your workers’ compensation benefits can be terminated immediately. The only way to regain your workers’ comp benefits is by appealing to the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. For a successful appeal, you must show that the light-duty job does not fit the work restrictions set by your doctor.
You should hire an experienced Alpharetta workers’ compensation lawyer to represent you in an appeal.
What If a Company Doesn’t Follow Light Duty Work Restrictions?
Companies must make reasonable accommodations for light duty work restrictions. Contact a Jeffersonville workers’ compensation lawyer if your employer pressures you to perform tasks that could worsen your condition. Our attorneys can protect your rights.
What If the Employer Can’t Offer Light Duty Work?
If your employer can’t meet your light duty work restrictions, you will continue receiving workers’ compensation benefits for up to 52 consecutive weeks or up to 78 weeks total.
How Many Hours Can You Work on Light Duty?
Georgia workers’ compensation law doesn’t set a specific limit on how many hours you can work on light duty. A workers’ compensation doctor will set light-duty work duty restrictions based on your medical needs. These restrictions may include working fewer hours per day or fewer days each week.
How Can a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Help?
A lawyer can help you obtain the full workers’ compensation benefits you deserve after a workplace injury. They can gather medical records, wage statements, and other evidence to support your workers’ comp claim.
Having a workers’ compensation lawyer on your side means you have someone protecting your rights. If you are placed on light duty work restrictions, a lawyer can make sure your employer follows your doctor’s recommendations. If the employer pressures you to do work that could worsen your condition, an attorney will fight back.
If your claim is unfairly denied, a workers’ compensation lawyer can handle the appeals process. They will review the reasons for the denial, collect the necessary evidence, and represent you in hearings to challenge the decision. Without legal help, you could risk losing important benefits that support you and your family during your recovery.
Contact Us Today for a Free Consultation
Whether you need help with filing a claim, negotiating a settlement, or appealing a denial, an Atlanta workers compensation lawyer can guide you through the process and fight to protect your rights.
Our team at Workers Compensation Lawyer Coalition can help you secure the maximum benefits. Call 470-518-5026 or fill out our contact form for a free case evaluation!
