An injury could change the way you are able to work — maybe permanently. California law has terms that could provide some protection for you, even if your original job were to prove impossible for you to perform. Regardless of what your level of disability might be, you could still potentially have the right to work at your current company.

Regardless of whether your injury resulted in permanent or temporary disability, your rehabilitation period could include some time when you were able to work in a reduced capacity. Unfortunately, decisions as to the timetable for your return and the exact duties you would perform could be out of your hands.

The California Department of Industrial Relations handbook for injured workers explains that your doctor would be the primary influence in determining which tasks you could perform at work during reduced duty. Depending on the situation at your company and the nature of your injury, this could involve various changes to your routine:

• Different tasks
• Shorter hours
• Reduction in physical labor

If you were to accept the terms of your reduced duty, you might still receive certain benefits until you come back to work at full capacity. However, you would still probably want to perform a careful review of your altered job description. This reduced work would be your new agreement with your employer, and it therefore often makes sense to subject it to at least the same amount of scrutiny as you did your original contract.

The rules for California injuries are generalized here. Many common factors, such as union membership, might give you additional options to consider. Please treat this only as simple background information. It is not intended as legal advice of any kind.