What Is Vocational Rehabilitation for Injured Workers?
An injury can completely change your life. Serious injuries can even have long-lasting effects which can prevent you from working, usually due to new limitations on your range-of-motion, strength, or other abilities. Luckily, workers who find themselves in this position have a path back to normalcy through vocational rehabilitation.
Goals of Vocational Rehabilitation
The goals of vocational rehabilitation are:
- To help the injured worker return to work as quickly as possible.
- To help the injured worker find a job compatible with the work restrictions provided by their physician. This could be the job you had before the injury, a new job with the same company, or a new job at a new company.
- To help the injured worker find a job with pay as close as possible to what they were making before their injury.
Basically, the main goal of vocational rehabilitation is to help an injured worker return to a lifestyle which matches their pre-injury lifestyle as closely as possible.
Eligibility
In Massachusetts, the vocational rehabilitation program is called MassAbility career services. In order to be eligible for this program one must:
- Be a Massachusetts resident.
- Be eligible to work within the United States of America.
- Have a physical or mental disability that prevents you from finding employment.
- Have the potential to benefit from vocational rehabilitation.
So long as someone meets these requirements, they can take full advantage of the help offered by vocational rehabilitation.
Vocational Rehabilitation Process
The first step in the vocational rehabilitation process is applying. This is easiest through the online application, but it can also be done over the phone or in person. You will need to provide a large amount of personal information in your application. This includes:
- Citizenship information
- Date of birth
- Email address
- Home address
- Medical documentation
- Permanent resident number
- Phone number
- Social security number
The application must be completed in one sitting and usually takes about 25 minutes. If your injury or disability makes it difficult for you to complete the application on your own, you are allowed to have a friend or family member aid you. However, this should only be done with someone you trust, as they will have access to your sensitive, personal information.
After your application has been submitted, a counsellor will review it and determine if you are in fact eligible for vocational rehabilitation. You will then receive notice informing you if your application has been accepted or denied.
Once accepted, a counsellor will be assigned to you. They will begin assessing your vocational potential. This is done by taking an in-depth look at your medical history, work and life experiences, and career goals. Your counselor will then speak with you regarding what they have learned about your situation. Together, you will create an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE). The IPE is the plan for getting you back into the workforce. It will outline which vocational rehabilitation services you will take advantage of. Such services include:
- Resume development
- Training
- Job placement
The process comes to an end only when you are successfully employed. Your counselor will work with you for as long as it takes and help you every step of the way.
Non-Medical Needs for Injured Workers
Often, when someone is injured on the job, the first thought is for their medical needs. This includes things like surgery, medication, ongoing care, and other medical necessities. However, this is just a small part of helping a person return to normalcy after an injury. Injured workers also have non-medical needs, including help finding work, counseling, and modifications to their workplace. Luckily, vocational rehabilitation helps address these non-medical needs through:
- Job search assistance: Help with job searches, employment applications, and resumes.
- Career guidance: Guidance on career options and job search strategies.
- Job training: Job training for an existing job or a new one.
- Workplace modifications: Workplace modifications to accommodate workers’ physical and cognitive limitations.
- Counseling: Counseling and interview coaching.
- Assistive technologies: Assistive technologies to help workers perform job tasks effectively.
- Education: Further education and vocational courses to enhance employability.
- Vocational evaluation: A vocational evaluation, which may include testing, to determine the worker’s abilities, aptitudes, and interests.
By addressing these non-medical needs, vocational rehabilitation helps workers continue to live a productive and fulfilling life after sustaining a life-changing injury.
Costs
In Massachusetts, vocational rehabilitation services are completely free for all eligible individuals. Any and all associated costs are paid for by the government. Of course, there are also medical costs and lost wages which injured workers must consider. Luckily, such costs can usually be covered by worker’s compensation, assuming your claim is not denied. With the combination of vocational rehabilitation and worker’s compensation, injured workers are usually not responsible for any injury-related costs. This allows them to focus on recovering and reentering the workforce.
Disclaimer
The information contained in this blog is for general information purposes only. Bonville & Howard assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the blog.
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