You Must:

• Report your injury to your employer as soon as possible. 

RETURN TO WORK

If you were injured on the job, your doctor, your employer and AmFed want to help you to return to productive work as soon as medically reasonable. For the return-to-work process to work, however, you must play an active role.

What's in it for you?

Heal sooner. Research shows that working is an important part of the healing process.

Steer clear of the disability mindset. The longer you are off work, the less likely you are to return to productive employment. After six months, you have only a 50 percent chance of rejoining the workforce.

Maintain your pre-injury income. Workers' compensation benefits replace only a portion of your lost wages.

If you miss work due to an on-the-job injury:

Cooperate with your doctor. Attend your appointments, and follow your treatment plan.

Communicate with your employer. Keep your employer updated on your recovery. Tell them if you need extra help recovering and returning to work.

Be open to alternative work. You might not be able to do your regular job immediately after a workplace injury. If not, your doctor could release you to perform alternative work while you recover. If your employer makes a bona fide offer of employment that meets your doctor's restrictions and you refuse, you might lose your workers' comp income benefits.