Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit aka Voucher
California repealed the law requiring worker’s compensation vocational rehabilitation for employees injured on the job and unable to return to work.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.