Suffering an accident in the workplace can be a devastating experience on many levels. Obviously, the physical pain and subsequent healing you might experience can be challenging. You may also have some difficulty adjusting to a reduction in your salary due to workers' compensation benefits. Perhaps of all the setbacks caused by a workplace injury, none are more life-altering than having to learn a new skill because your injury prevents you from returning to your former job.
Fortunately, the Maryland Worker's Compensation Commission allows for some injured workers to receivevocational rehabilitation for up to two years if their injuries are severe enough to keep them from returning to work. However, sometimes problems arise when injured workers are not permitted to enter the program.
For example, injured workers are not atoumatically entitled to training if there are suitable jobs available in the local area in which they may be gainfully employed. There is also no guarantee that a potential candidate will get the type of training they want. In some cases, the employer's insurer makes the decision as to which type of vocational training they will fund.
Then there is also the chance that a counselor in charge of the injured employee's rehabilitative vocation may determine that the candidate is not eligible for retraining because they can return to their former employer under modified job duties.
Injured Maryland workers need to know that they have the right to retain legal representation prior to any appeal process. Your Maryland workers' compensation attorney can prove invaluable in helping you to evaluate your situation and formulate a strategy designed to obtain a favorable outcome.