Vocational Rehabilitation Experts
I’m Katelyn Holub, an attorney focusing on personal injury law in northwest Indiana.
Welcome to Personal Injury Primer, where we break down the law into simple terms, provide legal tips, and discuss personal injury law topics.
Today’s topic is about what it takes to get a person back to gainful employment after an injury that has left them impaired and how to explain the process to a jury.
When an injury case is ready for trial, the plaintiff’s witness list usually includes a physician.
Physicians can give an opinion on how impaired a person may be as a result of an injury.
A medical doctor can testify to the types of physical activities the plaintiff should no longer do.
Sometimes an injured person is not completely limited in their activities. Still, they get increased pain when they engage in certain activities.
In some situations, a physician may be all the testimony needed to explain that an over-the-road truck driver can no longer do that job due to a back injury. A doctor can explain why an injury makes it difficult to sit for long periods. Or that they can only lift a limited amount.
But most physicians are not familiar with the specific job duties and physical demands of the many different types of jobs available on the job market.
Enter the vocational rehabilitation expert.
A vocational rehabilitation expert is a person who focuses on getting injured people back into a job after an injury.
They work to counsel people on how to get a job that meets their physical and educational requirements.
They are familiar with the educational requirements for each type of job.
They keep and access statistics on the availability of particular kinds of jobs within a specific geographical area.
They also maintain data on the income ranges for various positions. All this information falls within the vocational rehabilitation counselor’s area of expertise.
Vocational rehabilitation services frequently assist government agencies or insurance companies in counseling, training, and finding a job.
Helping people who have become injured, disabled or handicapped in some way to find employment and earn a living is itself essential work.
Vocational rehabilitation counselors will address:
- Whether the injured party can work, and, if so, will be able to list the jobs with requirements they can meet.
- The jobs now out of reach for the injured party due to their injuries and physical or mental limitations.
- The additional education or training the individual may need to return to gainful employment and itemize the cost of that education or training.
- The individual’s pre- and post-injury earning capacity.
- The number of jobs available for the injured party in a given geographic area.
- Just how likely it will be for the injured party to get hired.
A vocational rehabilitation expert is essential when a plaintiff is totally disabled from any gainful employment. Such experts can also provide important testimony in cases where the plaintiff is partially disabled.
A vocational rehabilitation expert will review the injured party’s medical records and reports to have the foundation necessary to testify.
They will interview the injured individual.
They may administer scholastic tests to see if a person can do a specific job.
In some situations, the expert can testify about lost earnings and diminished earning capacity.
I hope you found this information helpful. If you are a victim of someone’s carelessness, substandard medical care, a product defect, work injury, or another personal injury, please call (219) 736-9700 with your questions. You can also learn more about us by visiting our website at DavidHolubLaw.com – while there, make sure you request a copy of our book “Fighting for Truth.”
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