As a business owner, it is inevitable that you will need to deal with an injured worker. If this is the case, your Massachusetts workers compensation will be there to take care of the costs and make sure the employee does not sue the company for the injury. Once he or she has healed, they will be ready to return to work. The next step: rehiring the injured worker.
There are a few things to keep in mind when you go to rehire your employee:

• Having an effective return-to-work program will make all the difference.

• A RTW program may result in significant premium reductions.

• Failure to establish a rehiring procedure will cost you! It may result in court cases and higher payouts to the injured employee.

• Make sure the employee is ABLE to return to work. The physician MUST release the employee to do so.

• It is best to coordinate with the employee and physician in order to be aware of the injured worker’s status. The last thing you want is the employee to relapse.

• While an employee is NOT required by law to rehire the injured employee in ALL situations, it is still best to be aware of rules and regulations surrounding this. Yes, it is illegal to fire an injured worker because he or she filed a claim and requested workers comp.

• If you do fire an employee because they have requested workers comp benefits, you may face a lawsuit.

Our experts at Wolpert Insurance are dedicated to making sure any Massachusetts workers compensation claims go as smooth as possible, from the time of the injury up until the employee returns to work. If you have any questions or concerns about this process, do not hesitate to contact our agency. We would be more than happy to answer your questions and provide you with a free quote!