If you make a claim about a work injury and you can work, you must work. If you don’t have work to do at your current job, you must look for work. This rule is confusing for injured employees. They often ask, “Why do I have to look for work?” “What kind of work do I have to look for?” And they tell me, “I don’t have to look for work, because I have a job waiting for me as soon as I get better!” But it comes down to this: you have to follow this rule if you want to get workers’ comp benefits.
Workers’ comp is meant to compensate people for disability. Disability in workers’ comp means that the worker can’t earn his regular wages because of his or her workers’ comp injury. The meaning of disability is not limited to the
injured worker who cannot do any work. Disability in workers’ comp means that the injured worker’s activity is limited in some way that affects his wages.
READ MORE on this topic from Valerie Johnson’s book, Workers Comp 101, Lessons You need to Learn Before It’s Too Late.
Download a free copy of Workers’ Compensation 101 Guide (scroll to the bottom of the page).
Author Bio
Valerie Johnson
Founder
Valerie Johnson is a North Carolina personal injury and workers’ compensation attorney dedicated to helping injured and working people across the state. A board-certified specialist since 2000, she is the Immediate Past President of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice and author of North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Law: A Practical Guide to Success at Every Stage of a Claim.
