Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit aka VoucherCalifornia repealed the law requiring worker’s
compensation vocational rehabilitation for employees injured on the job
and unable to return to work. As of January 1, 2004 a person who is
injured so severely that he or she is unable to return to his or her
job is eligible for a benefit called the Supplemental Job Displacement
Benefit. AKA "Voucher".
The worker becomes eligible for a Voucher sixty
days after the medical treatment is completed or sixty days after
temporary disability payments are stopped by the insurance company. The
Voucher is "nontransferable" and is only to be applied to training
expenses such as tuition, books, or supplies. The voucher is worth
$4,000, $6,000, $8,000 or $10,000, depending on the severity of the
injury and the permanent disability rating approved by a WCAB judge.
Unfortunately, the insurance company is not
obligated to offer a Voucher until the permanent disability award is
confirmed with the judge. This can leave the employee waiting to get
started on a return to work program for many months after the doctor
has stopped treatment.
The Remas Group provides vocational counseling
to recipients of a Voucher and can assist in designing the most
cost-effective and appropriate skill development program. The
counseling fees are paid out of the Voucher and are not borne by the
injured worker. If there is a delay in getting the Voucher the Remas
Group counselors know how to work with schools and financial aid to get
the training started and will work with the insurance company to
establish the Voucher value and have it dispersed as early as possible.