If you get injured at work and also have a second job, you need to fill in your second employer about what happened. You may have restrictions that the second job needs to accommodate, you do not want to get more injured at the second job, and you may need to take time off.
- Restrictions
Your second job needs to know about any medical restrictions ordered by your doctor as a result of your work injury. You may need accommodations (changes to your job duties or environment) to allow you to complete your job. If you ask for accommodations without providing a medical note, your second job is unlikely to provide them. If you have a note, the process should be smoother.
The law requires employers to reasonably accommodate employees who have medical restrictions. Sometimes, people get injured so severely that they cannot do their jobs at all or cannot do a very important part of their jobs. If that is true for you, you still need to notify your second job. You may qualify for vocational rehabilitation services through workers’ compensation from your first job. These services can help you return to work – whether at your current jobs or somewhere else.
- Taking Time Off
When you have a second job, it can be very tough to take time off because of an injury. You need the income from both jobs to pay the bills. Your second employer does not have to pay workers’ compensation unless you get injured at that job or it aggravates your injury. However, the first job’s workers’ compensation insurance company does have to pay wage loss benefits.
Wage loss benefits compensate you for time you cannot work. Usually you can receive two-thirds of your average weekly wage. This includes wages at a second job. You need to tell the insurance company about your second job and how much you earn there so it can properly calculate the benefits amount. Talk to a lawyer to make sure you are getting all the benefits you are entitled to from your first job’s insurance company.
- Injury Aggravation
Be careful not to make your injury worse by working your second job. If you feel worse or are in pain, talk to your doctor immediately. Again, your doctor can write you a note explaining any restrictions or needed time off. You can give the note to your second employer. If your doctor believes that you aggravated your original injury significantly and your second employer has not accommodated your restrictions, you should talk to a lawyer about your options.
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.
