Deadline for Application for Return to Work Supplemental Program Has Been Extended

For injuries after January 1, 2013, if an injured worker is displaced from his or her job as a result of work restrictions due to a work injury, and the employer cannot offer a job accommodation, there is entitlement to a Supplemental Job Displacement Voucher. 

The voucher offers an injured worker two benefits:

1. Up to $6,000 for educational retraining and related expenses.  The voucher must be used within two years of receiving it, or five years from the date of injury, whichever is later.  The voucher expires if a recipient does not use it within that time frame. 
   
   
2. Money from the State of California's Return to Work Supplement Program (RTWSP).  Currently, the State is issuing $5,000 to a qualified injured worker who receives the voucher.  The deadline to apply is within one year of receipt of the voucher. However, for vouchers issued prior to December 1, 2015, there has been a significant change in the law as discussed below.

There were significant concerns that injured workers who received the voucher prior to December 1, 2015 were not given proper notice of how to receive the Return-to-Work Supplement.  The California Applicants' Attorneys Association's Regulations Committee, of which GEKLAW has participating members, petitioned for an extension of the deadline for applying for the RTWSP, and succeeded.   The new regulation allows an application to be filed for the Return-to-Work Supplement no later than March 20, 2018 from any individual who was issued a voucher prior to December 1, 2015, for an injury occurring on or after January 1, 2013.

The Application is completed online, and can be found here.

We at GEKLAW are dedicated to fighting for the rights of injured workers. If you would like to speak with one of our attorneys about your legal options, please call 213-739-7000 or click here.