For a large portion of employees who suffer an injury on the job, they can eventually return to work, but they aren’t quite the same as before their injury. And in order to facilitate these changes, your employer may need to provide some accommodations. But what types of accommodations are available to injured workers, and who pays for them? We answer those questions and more in today’s blog.
Work Accommodations After An Injury
If you are injured on the job, you may need some accommodations in order to return to work in the fullest capacity. What types of accommodations you might need will depend on your injuries and your work duties, but some common accommodations that we’ve help secure for injured workers include:
- New office chair
- Sit-to-stand workstation
- Dictation software
- Magnifying text or similar magnifying devices for reading comprehension
- Ramps to get in or out of buildings or workspaces
- Moving an office closer to the bathroom, or moving it to the ground floor
There are also accommodations in the form of workplace restrictions. For example, if your doctor says you’re no longer able to lift 25 pounds or more over your head, your employer will have to acquiesce with this accommodation. They can either have someone else perform the lift, have someone help you with the lift, or find other duties you can do in place of lifting the object. That’s because an employer has an obligation to make reasonable accommodations for injured workers after an on-the-job injury.
The key here is the word reasonable. It may not be reasonable for your company to find you work on the construction site if you’re confined to a wheelchair after an injury. Similarly, it may not be reasonable for an office building to install an elevator to help you get to your workstation on the third floor. However, it would be reasonable for your construction manager to help get you set up with a job in the office, or for your boss to move your workstation from the third floor to an office on ground level.
Costs associated with these types of accommodations will be covered by workers’ compensation, so make sure you have a skilled attorney by your side when determining a compensation amount. They’ll be able to pour over all your expenses and account for necessary accommodations so that you’re not paying for things out of pocket, and if you are, that you are compensated on the back end. All of these accommodations are covered under workers’ compensation, so if you’re running into trouble with your employer or their insurance company, talk to your doctor about explaining your needs further in writing, or have your attorney handle the matter.
If you’re trying to recoup costs for workplace accommodations or are having trouble getting the necessary accommodations, reach out to the experienced injury lawyers at Hey Workers today.
