How Transitional Jobs Help You Avoid Wage-Loss Payments in Florida

As an employer, getting injured employees back to work after a workplace accident is important. By offering transitional jobs, you can achieve that goal while also avoiding wage-loss payments in Florida.

Transitional jobs, or jobs that an injured worker can do while healing from a workplace accident, can help employers avoid wage-loss payments. When an injured employee can return to some form of work and earn an income, the benefits they receive from a Workers’ Compensation insurance carrier can decrease. Companies in Florida can create transitional jobs based on an injured employee’s prior experience and capabilities. Offering transitional jobs to injured workers can help you limit Workers’ Compensation insurance premium increases and other issues often caused by workplace accidents in Florida.

Our team of experienced brokers is here to help your company get the necessary Workers’ Compensation insurance in Florida. To learn more about the Florida Workers’ Compensation insurance brokers at NPN Brokers, call today at (561) 990-3022.

Can Transitional Jobs Help You Avoid Wage-Loss Payments in Florida?

If a worker is injured on the job in Florida, they may qualify for Workers’ Compensation insurance benefits. One benefit type that can impact your company’s premiums is wage-loss benefits. When you offer a transitional job to an injured employee, you may be able to avoid wage-loss benefits to an extent.

Transitional jobs can help with wage-loss payments in Florida. But what is a transitional job? Well, suppose one of your employees is injured and work and cannot resume their former duties for the time being. In that case, your insurance carrier may have to pay wage-loss benefits for some time, depending on a worker’s disability. However, things change if an employee can work another type of job.

Transitional jobs are jobs injured workers can do while healing after a workplace injury. So, while it might not be a job with the same salary or responsibilities, it is something an injured worker can do for the time being. Suppose an injured employee is earning a wage by working a transitional job. In that case, the wage-loss benefits your insurer has to pay can reduce.

Being proactive and identifying possible transitional jobs in your company in case of a workplace injury is wise. Our Florida Workers’ Compensation insurance brokers can help explain how transitional jobs work and which jobs qualify so that you can help employees return to some form of work more quickly after an accident.

Why is it Important to Avoid Wage-Loss Payments with Transitional Jobs in Florida?

Avoiding wage-loss payments with transitional jobs can be helpful for employers in Florida. Not only can you help employees continue earning an income after a workplace injury, but you can show them that your company cares about helping them return to work and remaining an integral part of the fabric of your workplace by offering them a transitional job.

Wage-loss benefits can be costly. Generally, transitional jobs are for workers who have not sustained a permanent injury but cannot return to their previous job quickly because of a workplace accident. This is known as temporary partial disability (TPD) in Florida. Suppose an employee is able to return to some form of work with restrictions. In that case, they may be entitled to temporary partial disability benefits. Generally, this applies to workers who cannot earn upwards of 80% of their previous income because of an injury or disability.

This is where transitional jobs come in. Even if income from a transitional job is less than the threshold for TPD, working a transitional job can help injured employees return to the workforce faster and realize they can return to their previous job sooner. Because TPD benefits don’t cover 100% of an injured worker’s previous income, they may be partially offset by income earned from a transitional job. Our Florida Workers’ Compensation insurance brokers can explain this process so that you can use it to help your employees.

Generally, transitional jobs are only applicable to workers that qualify for TPD or lesser benefits, as workers that are permanently disabled are unable to engage in any form of work because of their medical condition.

How Can Avoiding Wage-Loss Payments with Transitional Jobs Affect Your Insurance Premiums in Florida?

When an employee is injured on the job and files a valid Workers’ Compensation insurance claim, a carrier will pay the proper benefits. Unfortunately, this might result in increased premiums for your company. When you make a transitional job available to an injured worker, premiums may be more likely to stay the same.

Generally, Workers’ Compensation insurance carriers will base premiums on a company’s risk to insure. Suppose a worker is injured and requires wage-loss benefits for a long period of time. In that case, that might result in higher premiums for an employer. However, the less time an insurer pays wage-loss benefits, the better.

If you offer an injured worker a transitional job, they may not qualify for wage-loss benefits. This means that your insurance carrier can close out a claim faster. Having transitional jobs available to injured workers can improve your relationship with your carrier, as claims may be less expensive and easier to handle overall.

Avoiding wage-loss benefits with transitional jobs can positively impact your Workers’ Compensation insurance premiums, despite employees filing claims. Our Florida Workers’ Compensation insurance can help you understand how using transitional jobs, in tandem with safe work practices, can keep a cap on your policy premiums.

Call Our Brokers to Get Workers’ Compensation Insurance in Florida

If you need Workers’ Compensation insurance for your employees, our brokers can help. To learn more about the Florida Workers’ Compensation insurance brokers at NPN Brokers, call today at (561) 990-3022.