As an injured worker, it may be important for you to recognize that retraining is an option when you are seriously injured, and when you are faced with a significant career change. While we help that you recover fully from your injury, if you are a high wage earner, or if you have an extremely serious injury, pursuing retraining and returning to school to enhance your earning capacity may be an option.
An evaluation of retraining can be part of every consultation within the workers compensation process. This does not mean that retraining is automatically part of the return to work plan, but it does mean that you have the right to an open and honest discussion about the availability of returning to school as part of the vocational rehabilitation and QRC process.
Examples of injuries that have led to retraining include: Amputation of fingers, back surgeries that have required significant restrictions, injuries within professions such as mechanical repair, electrician, carpentry, etc. where an injured worker is unable to return to that profession and where their restrictions prevent them from earning a wage level close to what they would have enjoyed without injury.
It is always appropriate to discuss the retraining option as part of the consultation with a QRC. PAR, Inc. is one of the most experienced rehabilitation firms in the development of retraining plans in the State of Minnesota. We are experienced and have the resources to provide retraining benefits when they become a necessary part of the statutory rehabilitation process.
