When you’re injured on the job in Texas, it’s important to know that workers’ compensation medical benefits are completely separate from your employer. Your employer does not control your medical care — those benefits are handled directly by the workers’ comp insurance carrier. This means that regardless of what happens with your job, you remain entitled to the medical treatment you need for your work-related injury.
Income (Money) Benefits Work Differently
Income benefits, on the other hand, can be affected by your employment decisions. For example:
- If you are on light duty and you choose to quit or resign, this may limit your ability to collect income benefits later if your doctor removes you from light duty or if your employer no longer provides a light-duty position. In other words, if you voluntarily leave the workplace, rather than being unable to work because of your injury, your benefits may be at risk.
- Once you reach maximum medical improvement (MMI) and receive an impairment rating, you may begin receiving impairment income benefits. At that stage, you generally do not have to return to your original employer in order to continue receiving those impairment benefits.
Should You Quit Your Job?
Some injured workers do not want to return to their former employer — perhaps because of a difficult work environment or because of how the employer responded to the workers’ comp claim. Those feelings are valid, but it is usually unwise to formally quit or resign in the early stages of a workers’ comp case. Doing so can create serious consequences for your income benefits.
The Bottom Line
- Medical benefits follow the injury, not your employment status.
- Income benefits may be reduced or cut off if you resign too soon.
- Impairment benefits can continue even if you do not return to your original employer.
If you are unsure about your situation, speak with an experienced workers’ comp attorney before making any decision to resign. Protecting both your health care and your financial benefits should always come first.
Need help deciding what to do? Give us a call for a free case evaluation.
To set up a free initial consultation, contact us online or call us at 844-402-2992. For your convenience, we answer our phones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We will meet with you evenings or weekends upon request.
