A return-to-work release can be unsettling when pain, weakness, or other limits still make your normal job difficult. In Missouri, the treating doctor’s opinion can affect both your work status and temporary disability benefits. For more than 30 years, Brown & Brown Attorneys at Law has represented injured workers in St. Louis, Missouri. Our workers’ compensation attorneys include Mark Cordes, who has handled Missouri and Illinois workers’ compensation claims since 1993.
What Does a Return-to-Work Release Mean?
A doctor may release you to full duty or allow you to return with restrictions. Full duty generally means returning to your regular job, while modified or light duty limits certain tasks. Limits may involve lifting, standing, bending, driving, repetitive movement, or hours.
The Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation (opens in new tab) explains that temporary total disability benefits may be available when a doctor says you cannot work because of your injury. If you are released to modified duty and your employer has work that fits those limits, temporary total disability may stop. If modified work pays less, temporary partial disability benefits may be available.
What Should You Do If You Do Not Feel Ready?
Do not simply ignore the release or stop reporting to work without understanding how that choice could affect your claim. Instead:
- Tell the treating doctor which symptoms or limitations remain
- Ask for all work restrictions in writing
- Give your employer a copy
- Keep records of appointments, symptoms, duties, and communications
- Speak up if an assigned task conflicts with the written limits
Written restrictions give you and your employer a clear reference for what you can do. If the employer says it cannot accommodate those limits, that can affect whether temporary disability benefits continue and should be addressed promptly.
What If You Disagree With the Treating Doctor?
Missouri generally allows the employer or insurer to select the authorized treating physician. You may choose to see another doctor, but you could be responsible for that treatment cost.
If the release does not reflect your limitations, document the problem and get legal guidance before making decisions that could affect your benefits. Our Missouri workers’ compensation FAQ explains more about authorized treatment, while our guide to maximizing workers’ compensation discusses medical documentation and work restrictions. If the disagreement leads to a benefit dispute, our article on denied workers’ compensation claims may also help.
Get Help With a Return-to-Work Dispute
Mark Cordes and our workers’ compensation team can review the release, your restrictions, and the effect on your benefits. For a free case review in St. Louis, MO, call Brown & Brown Attorneys at Law at 314-333-3333 or contact us online.
