Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 656 § 656.340 — Vocational assistance procedure; eligibility criteria; service providers;

Vocational assistance procedure; eligibility criteria; service providers; resolution of vocational assistance disputes; rules. (1)(a) The insurer or self-insured employer shall cause vocational assistance to be provided to an injured worker who is eligible for assistance in returning to work. (b) For this purpose the insurer or self-insured employer shall contact a worker with a claim for a disabling compensable injury or claim for aggravation for evaluation of the worker’s eligibility for vocational assistance within five days of: (A) Having knowledge of the worker’s likely eligibility for vocational assistance, from a medical or investigation report, notification from the worker, or otherwise; or (B) The time the worker is medically stationary, if the worker has not returned to or been released for the worker’s regular employment or has not returned to other suitable employment with the employer at the time of injury or aggravation and the worker is not receiving vocational assistance. (c) Eligibility may be redetermined by the insurer or self-insured employer upon receipt of new information that would change the eligibility determination. (2) Contact under subsection (1) of this section shall include informing the worker about reemployment rights, the responsibility of the worker to request reemployment, and wage subsidy and job site modification assistance and the provisions of the preferred worker program pursuant to rules adopted by the Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services. (3) Within five days after notification that the attending physician or nurse practitioner authorized to provide compensable medical services under ORS 656.245 has released a worker to return to work, the insurer or self-insured employer shall inform the worker about the opportunity to seek reemployment or reinstatement under ORS 659A.043 and 659A.046. The insurer shall inform the employer of the worker’s reemployment rights, wage subsidy and the job site modification assistance and the provisions of the preferred worker program. (4) As soon as possible, and not more than 30 days after the contact required by subsection (1) of this section, the insurer or self-insured employer shall cause an individual certified by the director to provide vocational assistance to determine whether the worker is eligible for vocational assistance. The insurer or self-insured employer shall notify the worker of the decision regarding the worker’s eligibility for vocational assistance. If the insurer or self-insured employer decides that the worker is not eligible, the worker may apply to the director for review of the decision as provided in subsection (16) of this section. A worker determined ineligible upon evaluation under subsection (1)(b)(B) of this section, or because the worker’s eligibility has fully and finally expired under standards prescribed by the director, may not be found eligible thereafter unless that eligibility determination is rejected by the director under subsection (16) of this section or the worker’s condition worsens so as to constitute an aggravation claim under ORS 656.273. A worker is not entitled to vocational assistance benefits when possible eligibility for such benefits arises from a worsening of the worker’s condition that occurs after the expiration of the worker’s aggravation rights under ORS 656.273. (5) The objectives of vocational assistance are to return the worker to employment which is as close as possible to the worker’s regular employment at a wage as close as possible to the weekly wage currently being paid for employment which was the worker’s regular employment even though the wage available following employment may be less than the wage prescribed by subsection (6) of this section. As used in this subsection and subsection (6) of this section, “regular employment” means the employment the worker held at the time of the injury or the claim for aggravation under ORS 656.273, whichever gave rise to the potential eligibility for vocational assistance; or, for a worker not employed at the time of the aggravation, the employment the worker held on the last day of work prior to the aggravation. (6)(a) A worker is eligible for vocational assistance if the worker will not be able to return to the previous employment or to any other available and suitable employment with the employer at the time of injury or aggravation, and the worker has a substantial handicap to employment. (b) As used in this subsection: (A) A “substantial handicap to employment” exists when the worker, because of the injury or aggravation, lacks the necessary physical capacities, knowledge, skills and abilities to be employed in suitable employment. (B) “Suitable employment” means: (i) Employment of the kind for which the worker has the necessary physical capacity, knowledge, skills and abilities; (ii) Employment that is located where the worker custom