If you get injured on the job, you know that you can get workers’ compensation while you heal. You may be out of work for weeks or even months, depending on your injury, and your body needs time to get back to 100% before you end those benefits and start picking up your normal paychecks again.
But what if you rush it? Maybe you get some pressure from work to come back as soon as possible, or maybe you’re just bored of waiting and you decide that you’re ready. What if you go back too soon, do too much, and reinjure yourself?
Do you need to fully return to work?
One thing to consider is that you may not need to fully return to work. Perhaps there are some tasks you can do even as you heal. A limited return may mean you can get some workers’ comp and get paid at the same time. If you return completely, your workers’ comp benefits will stop, though, so you need to know you can keep working.
If you get injured again and cannot work at all, you may still be entitled to new workers’ compensation benefits. After all, you have the medical records showing that your original injury happened at work. With medical records from the second injury showing that it is either related to the first or just a reinjury of that same issue, you can then seek compensation while getting more medical treatment and taking time off to heal once again.
This is why it’s important not to rush back to work. It could take far more time to heal, in the long run, and that can make the whole incident much more costly than it needed to be.
Understanding your options
With any complexities and setbacks in the workers’ comp process, you need to know exactly what options you have and what legal steps to take. Your workers’ compensation benefits can help to reduce your stress levels and allow you to focus on healing until you are medically cleared. Talk to your legal team if your boss pressures you to come back early and you know it’s too risky.
