Hello, my fiancee works for the state of NC. She teaches staff at a facility how to defend themselves without injuring patients. Also how to safely handle the patients, picking them up, securing, walking (when they don't want to) and the like.

During training, in June of this year, she was injured. A student did a procedure wrong and she got hurt. These things happen. It is a "hands on" job.

Long story short. She is hurt enough that they are now telling her that she no longer fits her job description. She has been on light duty and has been seeing doctors thru workman's comp to try and get things right. She just wants to stop hurting and go back to doing her job.

My question is: what can she expect? Can they just let her go? Shift her to another position? Her two biggest fears are to be sent home at 2/3 pay or to be sent to another position that is too far away. (she has 2 children, one in grade school that has to be picked up by a certian time)

She and I both understand that the company has to do what is right for them, we just would like a "heads up" on what could happen.

Thanks for any input.
Ed

The worst case scenario is that when your fiance reaches "end of healing," she has permanent restrictions that prohibit her from returning to her prior job or any other open position for which she's qualified and her employment is terminated.

You really have no option but to just wait and see how this all plays out though. The biggest question is how long it will be before your fiance reaches maximum medical improvement and what her medical status will be at that time.

I have handled several cases in which the injured worker cannot return to the old job and has to take a lower-paying job. We have a well-developed body of law for these situations. If that turns out to be your situation, then it is possible to get you a much better financial outcome than simply the "rating" money for your specific bodily injury. I would be glad to discuss it privately with you. Bob Bollinger, Board Certified Specialist in NC Workers Comp Law, Charlotte