The Light Duty program is designed to keep benefited injured employees who have not achieved Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) in an active status until they are able to return to their regular position. Frequently, a physician will allow a recuperating employee to continue to work in a less physically demanding role than their original job, while they progress toward MMI. The Light Duty program facilitates this effort.

By assigning recuperating employees light duty tasks we are able to keep them active, earning their normal wage and being a productive member of the operation, usually in a department other than their normal work location.

Light duty status may be offered to an employee routinely for up to eight weeks. Experience tells us that by then most employees have reached MMI and are able to return to their normal duties. In some instances this does not happen and we reserve the option of extending the light duty tasks beyond eight weeks, based on a monthly case review with the adjusters, medical management staff and School Board Attorneys. If progress is being made and the prognosis is favorable for achieving MMI within a reasonable time period, light duty may be continued up to twenty weeks. Beyond that the normal procedure is to convert the wage cost to indemnity payments which generally amount to about two-thirds of what an employee would normally earn.

The Light Duty program is coordinated through the Workers’ Compensation department, which monitors the weekly activities of all employees assigned to light duty tasks. The Light Duty Desk must be notified of any employee working modified duty at the work location. Matching suitable light duty tasks with available work at locations throughout the District is a key to success for this program.