You may have served as a public safety member for years without experiencing a serious injury until recently.
Now your injury has resulted in a permanent partial disability, which affects your ability to return to your job. In this case, you may qualify for Supplemental Job Displacement Benefits or SJDB.
About SJDB
As an injured worker eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, you may qualify to receive supplemental job displacement benefits if an injury you suffered caused permanent partial disability and your employer has not offered you regular, modified or alternative work.
The benefit voucher
If you are eligible for SJDB, you will receive a voucher you can use for training purposes at a California public school or another state-approved provider. The amount of the voucher is $6,000, which you can use for testing, certification or licensing fees. You can also use it to purchase tools for a training course or to buy computer equipment. Up to $600 is available to pay for a vocational counselor or for the cost of using a licensed placement agency.
Voucher availability
The offer of an SJDB voucher is divided between workers whose injuries occurred between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2012, and those injured on or after January 2, 2013. Assuming you are in the latter group, the voucher is due within 20 days from the expiration of time your employer had for making you an offer of regular, modified or alternative work. If the rules and regulations seem a bit overwhelming, you can rely on legal guidance to determine whether supplemental job displacement benefits would be suitable for your situation and to earn more about the application process.