Glossary
Light-duty assignment, defined
A temporary job, or a modified version of the injured employee's usual one, that fits within the physical restrictions a physician has written. It lets the employee earn wages while recovering instead of drawing disability benefits at home.
In practice
Restrictions come from the treating physician in specific terms: no lifting above a set weight, no standing beyond a set time, one-handed work only. The employer writes up a job that fits and sends it to the physician for approval, then offers it to the employee in writing. If the employee accepts, temporary total benefits stop; if the modified job pays less than the pre-injury wage, a partial benefit fills a share of the gap. If the employee refuses a job the physician has approved, many states allow the carrier to suspend wage benefits. The job should be real and productive, since make-work is demoralising and hard to sustain, and it should be reviewed as the restrictions change. Small employers often say they have no such job; a task list prepared in advance usually finds one. The analysis helps prepare that list.
A worked example
Suppose a line cook cuts a hand and is restricted to one-handed work for four weeks. The restaurant offers a job checking deliveries and updating the inventory spreadsheet at the cook's usual $18 an hour. The cook accepts, the carrier's wage benefit stops, and the claim closes after medical costs of $2,500. Suppose the restaurant had offered nothing; four weeks of benefits at two thirds of wages would have added about $1,900 to the claim. Hypothetical figures.
Applies to: Workers' Compensation InsuranceRestaurant Insurance