Maximum Medical Improvement or MMI is tricky for most injured workers.  Even though it means the injured worker is medically improved to the maximum amount, it often leaves injured workers and their attorneys wondering... What's next?  The answer is simple.  Vocational Rehabilitation. 

Managed Care Organizations will rarely go out of their way to seek injured workers that have been found MMI to refer them to voc.  Most of the time, they consider their job of medically managing the claim to be finished.  What about the injured worker?  What happens to him or her?

MAKE A REFERRAL TO IVS FOR VOC REHAB SERVICES
If you or your client has been found MMI and have permanent work restrictions, make a referral into vocational rehabilitation.  At IVS, we can help injured workers identify their functional capacity, their transferrable skills, and perhaps get additional skills through a work adjustment program.  All of this leads to a job search and job placement to ultimately help them get back to work within their new physical restrictions. 

VOC REHAB MEANS ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION
Once in an approved voc rehab plan, an injured worker will receive living maintenance compensation.  Remember, IVS is an advocate for the injured workers.  Read more about the IVS DIFFERENCE.

If you are MMI and need help on the next step, complete the intake form online.  An IVS staff member will submit your request to the appropriate people and contact you shortly.

Sometimes voc rehab through Ohio BWC is just not enough for an Injured Worker seeking training and different job goals.  Ohio BWC voc rehab participants must follow BWC guidelines.  When a client, patient express interest in training, BVR may be a good option.

"Independence for Ohioans with physical or mental disabilities is the mission that unites all aspects of the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission (RSC)."

If you are in Northeast Ohio, contact BVR at the Lakewood Office.

Cleveland  
Traci Conkling
14650 Detroit Ave., Ste. 300
Lakewood, OH 44107
Voice  216.227.3250
TTY  216.227.3292
FAX  216.227.3293
Toll-free  866.325.0026
Serving: Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain

To find other office and locations visit http://www.rsc.ohio.gov/index/about-us/contact-an-office/bvr-offices.

Our case managers carefully review & consider all available relevant information, such as injured workers’ physical abilities and limitations, job history, wage history and need for retraining.  They may also order additional evaluative services if necessary, such as an FCE (functional capacities evaluation and/or vocational evaluation) in order to recommend the most effective rehabilitation services. 

Although, the last step in the vocational rehabilitation process is usually job placement and on-the-job-follow up, before injured workers can participate in job placement it is imperative that they have a clearly defined feasible vocational goal based on their skills and /or training, physical abilities, wage expectations, and economic conditions.  If injured workers are unable to return to any of their previous occupations, the IVS case managers offer all available appropriate services to help injured workers decide their new vocational goal and prepare for such goal.

Case managers have to follow applicable rules and laws and accordingly work together with the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) and managed care organizations who issue approvals for all services that the case managers may recommend.   The IVS case managers take great care in providing all necessary information and justification that the BWC and MCOs may need in order to approve the recommended services. 

The IVS policy is to advocate for the best interest of injured workers.  We work with all injured workers who are interested & able to participate in a vocational rehabilitation program, and who meet the legal eligibility criteria for vocational rehabilitation regardless of the severity of their impairment or any other challenges in addition to their injury. 

The purpose of vocational rehabilitation services is to help injured workers return to work either with their original employer or new employer after a period of work absence due to their job injury.  In most instances injured workers experience permanent physical limitations that need to be considered when trying to return to work.  Our case managers utilize all available resources to help injured workers to overcome their physical limitations.  The examples of services that are frequently used are physical therapy, training, counseling, job placement advocacy, work site accommodations, and many others.

by K. M. Eakin.