Injured Employee

Reemployment Services

What are reemployment services?

Reemployment services are services designed to help an injured worker return to work when their work-related injury or illness prevents them from returning to their usual line of work. Reemployment services may include vocational counseling, job-seeking skills training, job analysis, transferable skills analysis, selective job placement, training and education or other services deemed necessary and appropriate to help an injured worker return to work.
The workers' compensation carrier may voluntarily provide these services or an injured employee may request these services from the Division of Workers' Compensation, Employee Assistance and Ombudsman Office.

Injured Workers:

• What are the eligibility criteria for reemployment services?

  Although other factors may affect eligibility, you must, at minimum,:

  • have a compensable injury or illness that is covered under the Florida Workers' Compensation Law;
  • have a Florida compensable date of accident on or after 10/01/1989;
  • be legally eligible to work in the United States, and
  • submit a Request for Screening" within one year (365 days) of last receipt of indemnity (lost wage) benefits or medical treatment relating to the injury.
• How can I Request a Screening for services?

  To request a screening, you can go to the Division of Workers' Compensation website at www.myfloridacfo.com/wc, select the "Employee" section and then the "Reemployment Services" link. This will take you to a link to submit your online request. The direct link is: https://wcres.fldfs.com/resportal/ieweb/ielogin.aspx. The application may take as long as an hour to complete. Before applying, you will need the following information:

  • Either your Social Security Number (SSN) or your Jurisdiction Control Number (JCN) assigned by the Florida Division of Workers' Compensation;
  • Work history for the last 15 years, including dates of employment, employer names, job titles and job duties;
  • Medical information that affects your ability to work. This should include both workers’ compensation and non-worker's compensation medical information. You will be responsible for providing the Reemployment Services program copies of documentation to support any permanent functionally limitations assigned by your authorized treating health care provider.
  • Educational background, including dates attended college or vocational technical school, courses of study / majors, certificates or degrees received and date received. You may be required to provide copies of transcripts, certificates or degrees.
  • At some point, you will be required to provide a copy of the documents required on the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. Acceptable documentation can be found on the page 5 of the I-9; to view a list of acceptable documents, go to: www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf.
• What can I expect after I submit my request?

  Upon receipt of a completed "Request for Screening", your case will be assigned to a case manager who will:

  • Conduct an interview with you,
  • Confirm this is a compensable Florida Workers' Compensation injury,
  • Review all available case related documents, including the documents required by the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification,
  • Review medical information to determine any permanent functional limitations related to the injury,
  • Confirm whether employment is available with the employer of injury, and
  • Determine whether you have already returned to suitable gainful employment,

  Upon receipt of sufficient information, the case manager will conduct a Vocational Assessment. The outcome of the vocational assessment will determine which services, if any, you are eligible to receive.
• What services are available?

  The Reemployment Services program offers a multitude of services to injured employees. These can include vocational counseling, job seeking skills training, resume writing, job placement, a vocational evaluation and training and education.
• What factors are considered when determining which services I may be eligible to receive?

  The Workers' Compensation law requires the following factors be considered when determining a return to work plan: age, education, work history, transferrable skills, previous occupation, injury, and average weekly wage at the time of injury.
• Who decides what services I am eligible for?

  The Reemployment Services staff conducts a vocational assessment to determine which services you are eligible to receive. If additional information is needed after the assessment, you will be referred for a vocational evaluation. The purpose of the vocational evaluation is to determine which services are necessary to help you return to suitable gainful employment. If a vocational evaluation is conducted, the recommendations of the evaluation will be reviewed to determine the best plan for returning you to suitable gainful employment.
• Injured Employee Reemployment Services Web Portal

Insurers, Self-Insured Entities & Other Claims Handling Entities:

• Reemployment Status Reviews

  When an employee who has suffered a compensable injury under the Florida Workers' Compensation Law, a carrier must conduct a reemployment status review and report its determination to the Department if the injured employee:
  

  • is unemployed 60 days after the date of injury, and
  • is receiving benefits for temporary total disability, temporary partial disability, or wage loss, and
  • has not yet been provided medical care coordination and reemployment services voluntarily by the carrier.

  Reemployment Status Reviews must be conducted every 90 days thereafter when the above criteria are met.
  Reemployment Status Reviews must be submitted electronically to the Department using the web portal at: https://wcres.fldfs.com/resportal/login.aspx
  For questions or concerns about using the web portal, contact the Division of Workers' Compensation, Employee Assistance and Ombudsman Office by email at wcres@myfloridacfo.com or by telephone at (800) 342-1741, option 4.
• Referrals to the Department

  A carrier is responsible for referring injured employees to the department for a Department Screening

  • when a rehabilitation provider concludes that training and education are necessary to return the employee to suitable gainful employment, or
  • If the employee has not returned to suitable gainful employment within 180 days after referral for reemployment services or receives $2,500 in reemployment services, which ever comes first.

  A carrier may make a referral to the Department using the web portal at: https://wcres.fldfs.com/resportal/login.aspx.
  For questions or concerns about using the web portal, contact the Division of Workers’ Compensation, Employee Assistance and Ombudsman Office by email at wcres@myfloridacfo.com or by telephone at (800) 342-1741, option 4.
• Rehabilitation Temporary Total Disability benefits (RTTD)

  When an employee who has attained maximum medical improvement is unable to earn at least 80 percent of the compensation rate and requires training and education to obtain suitable gainful employment, the employer or carrier shall pay the employee additional training and education temporary total compensation benefits while the employee receives such training and education for a period not to exceed 26 weeks, which period may be extended for an additional 26 weeks or less, if such extended period is determined to be necessary and proper by a judge of compensation claims. These benefits shall not be in addition to the 104 weeks as specified in s. 440.15(2). However, a carrier or employer is not precluded from voluntarily paying additional temporary total disability compensation beyond that period.
• Carrier Reemployment Services Web Portal

  The department has a web portal for insurers, self-insured entities & other claims-handling entities to submit Reemployment Status Reviews and make referrals of injured employees to the Department. The web portal is located at: https://wcres.fldfs.com/resportal/login.aspx.
  User IDs and Passwords:
  

  • If you had an account for the web portal used by the Bureau of Rehabilitation & Reemployment Services within the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, you should be able to continue using that user ID and password.
  • If you do not have an account, go to the web portal to request a new account.

  For questions or concerns about using the web portal, contact the Division of Workers' Compensation, Employee Assistance and Ombudsman Office by email at wcres@myfloridacfo.com or by telephone at (800) 342-1741, option 4.

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