If you have a government job or work for a large company, the workers’ compensation insurance company may use a job placement vendor in addition to a QRC. The job placement vendor works with the QRC to provide you with vocational rehabilitation services.
What Does the Job Placement Vendor Do?
As you work through your rehabilitation plan with your QRC, there may come a point when it is clear that you cannot return to your employer or job before the injury. The decision that you can’t return may be made by the employer, it may develop organically as your QRC investigates other positions with the employer, or it may be obvious depending on your injury.
At this point, the insurance company may assign a job placement vendor to your case. The vendor performs the bulk of the job searching assistance, in conjunction with the QRC. For example, the QRC might identify an industry or particular job that you could perform and earn an equivalent wage. Then the job placement vendor might find jobs for which you qualify. If you have a government job, this may include a search at other government agencies.
How Do the Job Placement Vendor and the QRC Interact?
Under the law, the QRC is still the primary coordinator of your rehabilitation plan. The QRC will facilitate communication with the insurance company, your doctor, and the job placement vendor as you prepare to return to work. The QRC is also responsible for monitoring and motivating your progress through the plan. In contrast, the job placement vendor performs some of the legwork in helping you find a new job as quickly as possible.
The job placement vendor can provide some services not always available to the QRC. For example, the vendor may set up a “mobility assignment” for someone injured at a government job. A mobility assignment involves sending you to another state agency for a limited work assignment where you learn alternative duties. This could give you an opportunity to develop new skills and broaden your career perspective.
If you have the opportunity to work with a job placement vendor, take advantage of it. Just as you should with a QRC, follow the plan and explore the opportunities offered so that you can return to work when you are ready.
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.
