What Happens if You Cannot Return to Your Factory Job After a Virginia Work Injury?

 Posted on November 10, 2026 in Workers' Compensation

Factory work often requires heavy lifting or long hours on your feet. An injury that prevents you from doing those tasks can leave you worried about earning a living, even after your doctor says you can work again.

Being unable to return to your old job does not automatically end your workers’ compensation benefits. Your medical restrictions and ability to earn income help determine what happens next. If a factory injury keeps you from returning to work in 2026, our Prince William County, VA workers’ compensation attorneys will explain your options.

Who Decides Whether You Can Return to Your Virginia Factory Job After a Workplace Injury?

Your treating doctor assesses your ability to work and sets medical restrictions. Those restrictions should explain which activities you cannot safely perform. A release to light duty does not mean you are ready to resume every part of your old job.

Give your doctor an accurate description of your duties. For example, operating a machine might also require lifting materials into it and clearing jams. A job title alone does not show those demands.

Ask for written restrictions that address the tasks causing concern. Share them with your employer and attorney so any proposed return to work can be compared with your medical limits.

Can You Receive Wage Benefits in Virginia if You Cannot Do Your Former Job?

Virginia workers’ compensation provides wage benefits when a covered injury limits your ability to earn. The payment depends on whether you are unable to work at all or can perform some work.

Under Virginia Code § 65.2-500, qualifying workers who are totally unable to work receive two-thirds of their average weekly wages, subject to state limits. These are temporary total disability benefits.

If you return to suitable work at lower pay because of the injury, temporary partial disability benefits address part of the difference. Virginia Code § 65.2-502 sets that payment at two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury average weekly wage and what you can earn afterward, subject to the legal limits.

Do You Have to Accept Light-Duty Work at the Factory in Virginia if You’re on Workers’ Comp?

Turning down suitable work puts wage benefits at risk. According to Virginia Code § 65.2-510, an unjustified refusal of work suited to your capacity stops certain benefits during the refusal. It does not automatically end every benefit under your claim.

The actual duties need review. Calling a position "light duty" does not establish that it fits your doctor’s restrictions.

If the offered work conflicts with your restrictions, explain the specific problem to your attorney. Do not simply refuse the assignment or assume you must perform unsafe tasks. A dispute over whether work is suitable can be brought before the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission.

What if the Virginia Factory Has No Work Within Your Restrictions After You’re Injured on the Job?

The factory’s lack of light-duty work does not establish that you are unable to work elsewhere. If you can perform some work, review your job-search duties before assuming wage benefits will continue.

The Commission requires a good-faith search for suitable employment when a partially disabled worker is not under an open award for the benefits sought. An open award is an ongoing Commission order providing benefits. Your attorney should review your award and medical status to determine what you must do.

The Commission’s job-search guidelines call for steps such as:

• Registering with the Virginia Employment Commission within a reasonable time
• Contacting at least five potential employers each week about suitable work
• Asking your former employer about available light duty when appropriate
• Keeping a written record of applications and responses

These steps support a reasonable search in most cases, but the Commission also considers your restrictions and available jobs. Applying for work you clearly cannot perform does not show a meaningful effort.

Do not limit the search to factory jobs if your restrictions rule them out. If a search within your existing field is unsuccessful, the guidelines require broadening it.

Does Virginia Workers’ Comp Help You Prepare for Different Work?

Virginia law provides reasonable and necessary vocational rehabilitation services at the Commission’s direction. These services help injured workers move toward employment they can perform.

Under Virginia Code § 65.2-603, services include job placement assistance and, when appropriate, retraining. A plan should account for your previous earnings and the likelihood that the proposed work will be a realistic fit.

This does not guarantee payment for any course you choose. Have proposed training reviewed before enrolling or taking on expenses. You must also cooperate with reasonable rehabilitation services; an unjustified refusal puts compensation at risk.

Contact a Prince William County, VA Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

Losing the ability to do your factory job creates questions about both your income and your next step. At Parthemos, Curran, Buelow and Polizzi, PLLC, our attorneys will review proposed work assignments and help you pursue the benefits supported by your claim.

Our firm brings more than 120 years of combined experience and handles complex injury cases. Contact our Woodbridge, VA workers’ compensation attorneys or call 540-662-4222 to schedule a free consultation.