Getting cleared to go back to work after a job injury should feel like good news, but if you’re still in pain or can’t perform your regular duties, it usually brings a wave of anxiety. Knowing what “released back to work” actually means under Colorado workers’ compensation law is the key to protecting both your physical health and your weekly paycheck.
What Does it Mean to Be Released Back to Work?
When an authorized treating physician releases you back to work following a job injury, they have evaluated your current recovery and assigned a formal medical status.
In Colorado, this release falls into one of two main categories:
- Unrestricted Duty: You are medically cleared to return to your regular job duties without physical limitations or modifications.
- Restricted / Modified Duty: You are cleared to return to work, but only under specific medical limitations set by your doctor to prevent re-injury.ations.
What does that mean? How do you know what your work restrictions are, and how can they affect you? What are your options? Let’s dive into it.
Watch: What does it mean to be released back to work during your work injury?
Understanding Work Restrictions After a Job Injury
When you’re seriously injured on the job, there’s a lot you’ll have to deal with. In addition to meeting with doctors and figuring out your medical care, it’s also likely that you won’t be able to work the same way you used to.
The Colorado workers’ compensation system looks at this, and they’ll want to know your doctor-ordered restrictions. If your work injury happened in Colorado, the chances are you’re getting medical treatment from a doctor who specializes in occupational medicine.
At the end of every visit, they’ll give you restrictions. The restrictions might be:
- Don’t lift more than 5 or 10 pounds
- No pushing or pulling more than 30 pounds
- Sometimes they get specific and might say that you can’t lift from the floor to the waist.
These are called your work restrictions.
Have open communication with your doctor
First, if you’ve been released back to work, ask the doctor: “Am I being released back to work with restrictions or without restrictions?”
If the doctor says without restrictions, then it’s time to talk about whether or not you feel capable of going back to unrestricted duty at all.
If the doctor says, “I’m releasing you back to work but with restrictions,” then find out what those restrictions are.
It’s a very common thing for injured workers to tell us, “Oh, my restrictions are I can’t lift anything heavy.” Well, what does ‘heavy’ mean? To one person, heavy may mean 200 pounds. For a two-year-old child, anything over 15 pounds is heavy. Get very specific in understanding what your restrictions are.
Should I tell my employer about my restrictions?
If you are wondering whether you should tell your employer about your restrictions, our personal answer is: Yes, you should.
You should tell them, “Here are my restrictions. Here’s the plan.” Communicate with your employer just as you would want them to communicate with you if, for some reason, they couldn’t operate normally.
Show them your restrictions and ask whether they have work that fits them.
Then your employer can choose to accommodate your restrictions and bring you back to work. If they decide not to bring you back, then the insurance company should be paying you two-thirds of your lost wages. These are called temporary disability benefits.
Released back to work with an injury
It is not the end of the world to be released to work when you have a work injury in Colorado. Statistics show that injured workers who return to work and work modified duty tend to do better. It gets you out of the house, active, and connected with your employment, which is a great thing.
That’s why it’s important to communicate with your employer. See if there’s modified work available that you can do. If your employer doesn’t have work for you, don’t worry; the insurance company will still have to pay two-thirds of your lost wages.
Kaplan Morrell is here to help!
If you or someone you know has been injured on the job in Colorado, please tell them to call us. We are Kaplan Morrell Attorneys at Law. We’ve been helping injured and disabled workers in Colorado since 1995. We offer free, confidential consultations to help you understand your rights.
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