Modified or Alternative Work After a California Injury: Restrictions, Offers, and the SJDB

Review the primary official source.

A return-to-work offer is not complete merely because it has a job title and a start date. The useful record connects the written duties to current medical restrictions and identifies the consequences of accepting, rejecting, or being unable to perform the position.

Start with the medical restrictions

Obtain the operative work-status report and identify each restriction in the physician’s own terms. Compare lifting, standing, schedule, location, and task limits with the actual position rather than a general assurance that work is “light duty.” If restrictions change, preserve the later report and ask for a revised written analysis.

Examine the offer itself

California DWC guidance distinguishes regular, modified, and alternative work. A written offer should be reviewed for duties, location, wages, schedule, expected duration, and the date it was made. Ask who will supervise accommodations and how conflicts between a task and a restriction will be handled.

Keep the SJDB question separate

The supplemental job displacement benefit is a nontransferable voucher for eligible education, retraining, or skill enhancement. Eligibility depends on the statutory and regulatory setting, including permanent disability and qualifying work offers. A dispute about one task does not by itself establish voucher entitlement.

Build a decision record

Keep the offer, job description, medical reports, communications about accommodations, and proof of response together. Report a failed work attempt promptly and factually. Do not resign, refuse work, or assume an offer is invalid without obtaining advice on the actual documents and deadlines.