After you suffer from a workplace injury, you may need to change jobs for a variety of reasons. Whether you should get a new job or whether you should wait out your workers’ compensation case could be a tricky question.
There is no rule in Minnesota saying you cannot get a new job while your workers’ compensation claim is pending. As long as you have reported the injury to your employer and have the insurance company’s information, you can leave your old job or start looking for a new position. However, there are a few reasons you may want to stay:
- Remaining at a lower pay rate and receiving wage loss benefits
- More time to recover instead of immediately training for a new position
- Possibility of medical restrictions that will affect your new job duties
- Opportunities within the workers’ comp system for vocational rehabilitation, retraining, and medical benefits
Some workers do not have good reasons to stay at their old jobs before workplace injuries. For example, an employee who was injured because of another employee’s carelessness or intentional act may not want to see the other employee again. A worker could worry that the safety violations leading to his injury will continue when he returns. In these situations, you may want to look for a new job.
Another reason to change jobs is because you cannot perform your former job duties due to your injury. Your doctor may give you medical restrictions that limit your ability to carry out job tasks. In that situation, talk to your doctor and your workers’ compensation lawyer about vocational rehabilitation. You can request vocational rehabilitation services to help you find a new job or even receive retraining that educates you in another field.
Before you decide to leave the job where you were injured, give careful consideration to why you are leaving and think about whether now is the right time to change jobs. You may decide to stay at your old job until you wrap up the workers’ compensation case, or you may decide that you need to move on.
Need help getting workers’ compensation for your injury? Joe Osterbauer, Esq. and the Osterbauer Law Firm stand up for injured Minnesota workers’ rights. Joe’s 27 years of workers’ compensation experience and his team’s speedy service combine to get clients the results they need. To schedule a free consultation, visit Osterbauer Law Firm online or call Joe’s office at (612) 334-3434.
