Most employers have workers’ compensation insurance that covers their employees in the event they are injured or become sick while at work. The insurance is a no-fault type, so employees do not have to prove that their injury or illness was caused by their employer’s negligence. On the other hand, workers’ comp. is accompanied by a raft of rules and regulations that control whether it is paid and when it stops. Your doctor will inform your employer, your employer’s insurer and you regularly about your ability to return to work with or without restrictions. In Texas, for example, this is done through completing DWC Form-073. What is Meant by Light Duty or Work With Restrictions? Often times, a doctor recommends that you are unfit to return to work but your state of health means that you should not do exactly the same job as before. This may be because you are still recovering from an injury or illness and strenuous physical work may delay the recovery. Most employers are able to offer lighter workloads or a different job to what was done before in light of the doctor’s recommendations. In fact, an employer is legally required to offer light duty work or work with restrictions if it is available. As an employee returning to work, you are expected to accept light duty work as long as your doctor allows it or does not recommend that you do not return to work at all yet. My doctor filled out a DWC Form-072 at my last appointment. What is it? A DWC Form-073 is a form used in Texas by doctors or other medical professionals who are dealing with your workplace injury or sickness. There are similar forms or methods of communication in other states used for the same purposes. The acronym “DWC” refers to the Texas Department of Workers’ Compensation. The DWC has many forms it uses, but Form-073 is specifically for use in communication between the doctor and the employee, the employee’s employer and the insurer who is paying worker’s comp. Form-073 is completed no more often than every 2 weeks throughout the time that an employee is absent from work because of a workplace related injury or illness. It informs those who need to know whether the employee is able to return to work and whether there should be any restrictions on the sort of job that can be done. The use of Form-073 avoids any misunderstanding between employee and employer about coming back to work and ensures that the employee is paid correctly for the work he or she is doing or paid temporary disability benefit through the workers’ compensation scheme or a combination of both. How a WC Attorney Can Help Not all workers’ compensation arrangements go smoothly. A misinterpretation of an employee’s ability to return to work is one area which can be caused by poor communication. Errors in DWC Form-073 or it not being completed regularly can lead to an employee suffering from a termination of WC payments or loss in wages. If there are any problems throughout the workers’ compensation period, it is advisable for an employee to contact a workers’ comp. attorney for advice about the best way forward. Additional Resources What Is a Claim Form? Workers' Compensation Attorneys in Texas
