Some injuries, such as cuts and bruises heal within a relatively brief span of time. Once the healing process has finished, the healed patient can return to work. On the other hand, some severe injuries force the victim to deal with a slow recovery. In such cases, the insurer might expect to one day receive a signal, a signal that the time has come for the victim’s gradual return to work.
How does an insurance company send such a signal?
The insurer arranges for the victim/claimant to receive a notice. That notice lets the claimant know that he or she has been assigned a rehabilitation consultant. That consultant has corresponded with the claimant’s treating physician.
How should a lawyer and client respond to such a notice/signal?
The Personal Injury Lawyer in Burlington should contact the consultant and find out if the client must undergo a functional capacity evaluation. Insurance companies use such evaluations, in order to assess the condition of the recovering patient/claimant.
In addition, the attorney should work with the client, in order to put together a return-to-work plan. The two of them can discuss the varied aspects for such a plan. It is best that the lawyer works with the accident victim or the plaintiff to ensure that legal relief is grant as the injured plaintiff is awarded compensation
Going back to work
Even if the formally injured individual feels better, there are things that must be considered during development of the return-to-work plan. These are:
• Does the client feel ready to handle a full day of work?
• Does the client feel ready to handle a full work-week? A return-to-work plan often features shortened work weeks when the client first returns to the workplace.
• To what degree can the hours be reduced, if the returning employee hopes to retain coverage by the company-sponsored medical insurance?
• Will the returning employee need to get assigned modified duties, jobs that differ somewhat from those that the same employee had in the past?
There are specific problems that should be noted by the employee taking part in a return-to-work plan. The injured individual needs to be careful and ensure that he or she contacts a doctor of there is a return of any symptom, especially one that diminishes the employee’s ability to concentrate.
Additionally, the re-appearance of any symptom that interferes with the employee’s ability to interact with fellow workers needs to be looked at. This has to be considered before the individual joins work. A report on any noted symptoms should be submitted to the rehabilitation consultant, so that due care can be taken and further treatment provided accordingly.
