When you are injured in the workplace, you might have to spend time in a hospital, and this will mean increased medical bills and lost wages. The law in the United States means that you can be recompensed for these short-term financial damages through workers’ compensation.
However, for many injured workers, the immediate aftermath of their injury that they acquired at work is only the beginning. It can mean that they become permanently disabled and unable to work in the positions that they held before.
What support is available those suffering a work-related disability?
In addition to workers’ compensation, workers that become disabled as a result of their work injury may also be eligible for the Return-to-Work Supplement Program. This is a benefits program for workers that are not receiving many benefits from other sources, in order to help them through their prolonged recovery time.
The program has a $120 million fund to help workers with permanent disabilities who are suffering considerable financial losses as a result.
How do I know if I am eligible for the Return-to-Work Supplement Program?
If you were injured at work on or after Jan. 1, 2013, and as a result received a voucher for Supplemental Job Displacement Benefits (SJDB), you will be able to make an application for the Return-to-Work Supplement Program. You must apply within one year of receiving the voucher.
If you are an injured worker, it is important that you look into all of the different benefits that you are entitled to in the state of California.
Source: DIR, “Return-to-Work Supplement Program (RTWSP),” accessed April 26, 2018