The offer of Modified Duty by a member to an injured employee with work capacity is a requirement of membership in the MMTA Worker’s Compensation Trust.  Each member is required to have a modified duty program which identifies tasks and jobs throughout the company to be completed by an individual injured in the course of their employment.   These tasks, although limited in compared to full-duty job positions, allow an injured employee to return to work quicker, continue to be an essential member of the team, and mitigate the cost of the claim. 

The process of transitioning an injured employee back to the workforce can be difficult at times due to the number of people involved in managing the case.  Clear, effective communication is very important in progressing the injured employee back to the workplace and we highly recommend formalizing a company’s process before it is needed. 

The offer of modified duty can be either verbal or written.  First of all, the initial offer is usually presented to the injured employee in person explaining the tasks to be completed, the work shift (both days of the week and timeframe), supervisory personnel, and rate of pay.  The employee’s work capacity should be reviewed with the understanding that the limitations posed by the injury will be the responsibility of the injured employee.  The job offer should also be open ended in duration with reviews done at each follow up doctor’s appointment where restrictions may be added, reduced or eliminated.  In the event that the verbal offer is not accepted, then a formal written offer should be implemented.

The Modified Duty Job Offer template link above is a Word document that can be used by Trust members to send the injured employee a formal modified duty offer within the injured employee’s work capacity.  The Trust member needs to edit the italicized bold wording to reflect the correct information.  Once the wording has been changed, placed on company letterhead and it has been signed, the letter should be sent via certified mail to the employee at their home address.  Once the letter is delivered or retrieved by the employee, a signature on the green return card will show proof that the employee has received the modified job offer. 

Trust members should notify the Trust when a modified duty job offer has been extended to an employee so we can reflect it in the claim file and track ongoing compliance. 

If you have any questions regarding this letter or the actual process of extending a modified duty job offer, please feel free to contact us at 207-623-1807.