That time I tried returning to light duty after a back injury and got shut down by my adjuster

I got hurt lifting boxes at a warehouse in Fresno back in March, and after 6 weeks of PT I felt good enough to ask about light duty work. My adjuster said if I went back part-time, they'd cut my temporary disability benefits by 40% based on their formula. Has anyone else dealt with this catch-22 where trying to work ends up costing you more?

2 comments

2 Comments

piper_reed24d ago

@masonbell I get what you're saying but from what I've seen the math usually makes sense if you look at it long term. The adjuster is just following a state formula that keeps things fair for everyone in the system.

masonbell24d ago

Wait, does your adjuster actually expect you to lose money just to prove you're trying to work? That's the kinda backwards logic that makes you wonder if the whole system is designed to keep you stuck. It's like when you try to save money by cutting back on takeout but then your car breaks down and wipes out all that savings anyway. Life just has these traps where doing the right thing ends up punishing you. I mean, you'd think they'd want people to get back on their feet instead of setting up math that makes it worse. Maybe it's just me but it feels like these formulas never account for the actual human trying to get by.