Minnesota Rehabilitation Benefits

The Minnesota Workers Compensation Act provides for rehabilitation benefits for employees who sustain an injury at work. These are vocational rehabilitation benefits; physical rehabilitation benefits are available too, but are covered under the medical benefits.

•What is the purpose of rehabilitation benefits?

The purpose of Minnesota rehabilitation benefits is to enable injured workers to return to their former employment, and if they are precluded form returning to the pre-injury job, then to allow the injured worker to return to a modified job or gain a job with a new employer.

•What is a QRC and how can one help me?

A QRC is a qualified rehabilitation consultant. A QRC is a professionally trained and experienced person who is registered by the Commissioner to provide a “rehabilitation consultation,” which is the first step in the rehabilitation process. First, you should meet with a QRC. If the QRC finds that you are eligible for rehabilitation benefits (which generally occurs when the employee’s physician has taken the employee off work or imposed work restrictions), then the QRC prepares a rehabilitation plan.

•What is in a rehabilitation plan?

The rehabilitation plan under Minnesota workers compensation rules usually includes medical case management, which involves the QRC attending the employee’s doctor appointments and clarifying work restrictions. It also involves the QRC working with the employee’s employer to see if that employer has work available within the employee’s work restrictions. As an example, if the employee has a 10 pound lifting restriction and that employee’s pre-injury job involved frequently lifting 20-50 pound objects, the QRC would see if the employer had a different job that would be suitable for the employee. If not, the QRC would provide job search assistance to the employee to find that employee a job within the employee’s restrictions.

•When is a different job appropriate under a rehabilitation plan?

When evaluating whether a different job would be suitable for the employee for purposes of rehabilitation, consideration is given to “the employee’s former employer and the employee’s qualifications, including, but not limited to, the employee’s age, education, previous work history, interests and skills.” Minn. R. 5220.0100(34). An employee cannot refuse or quit a particular job simply because the employee would rather do something else. Rehabilitation to a job with a higher economic status than would have occurred without the disability is permitted if it can be demonstrated that this rehabilitation is necessary to increase the likelihood of reemployment.

About the Author:

David Whitney is the author of this article on Minneapolis work comp. Find more information about MN workers compensation here.