Is there a replacement for the vocational rehabilitation program?
A. Yes, but the services are less extensive. If you were injured on or after Jan. 1, 2004, and are permanently unable to do your usual job, and your employer does not offer other work, you may qualify for supplemental job displacement benefits. This benefit is in the form of a voucher that helps pay for educational retraining or skill enhancement — or both — at state-approved or state-accredited schools. Specifically, the law (Labor Code section 4658.5) says that employees who do not return to work for their employer within 60 days of the end of temporary disability payments will receive a voucher.
