Georgia Light Duty Workers’ Comp Battles in 2026

Michael stared at the doctor’s note on his kitchen table. The words “light duty work restrictions” felt less like a prescription and more like a dead end. He’d torn his rotator cuff moving equipment at the College Park warehouse, a job he’d done for Southern Logistics Inc. for almost fifteen years. Now they were telling him they couldn’t accommodate his restrictions, claiming there were no roles for someone with a “no lifting over 10 pounds” and “limited overhead reaching” limitation. Michael had a vague idea of his rights under light duty workers’ comp GA, but the whole thing felt like working through a legal maze without a map. His family’s stability, everything, depended on figuring out how Georgia’s system handles these restrictions. What are you supposed to do when your employer just says “sorry, no light duty available”?

The Initial Injury and the Doctor’s Orders

Michael’s injury happened on a Tuesday morning. He felt a sudden, sharp pain in his shoulder as he hoisted a heavy crate, and his arm went weak almost immediately. After reporting it to his supervisor and filling out the incident report, he was sent to an urgent care clinic, which then referred him to an orthopedic specialist at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital. The diagnosis came back as a significant rotator cuff tear that would need surgery and a lot of recovery time. His doctor, Dr. Anya Sharma, was very direct: no heavy lifting, no repetitive overhead work, and no way he was going back to his old job without major changes.

Dr. Sharma gave Michael a detailed work restrictions form that laid out his exact limitations. This piece of paper is everything in a workers’ comp claim. It isn’t enough for a doctor to just write “light duty.” The form has to be specific about what you can and can’t do. For Michael, the list included:

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• No lifting, pushing, or pulling more than 10 pounds.
• Limited overhead reaching, with no repetitive motions above shoulder height.
• No prolonged standing (more than 30 minutes at a time).
• Ability to alternate between sitting and standing as needed.

An employer uses these precise restrictions to figure out if they have any suitable work for you. If the doctor’s note is vague, it gives the employer an easy out to just say “no work available,” which is a huge headache for your benefit payments.

Employer’s Obligation (and Incentive) Regarding Light Duty

The law in Georgia on light duty is a little tricky. An employer isn’t absolutely required to invent a new job for an injured worker. But, they have some pretty big incentives to offer suitable light duty if they have it. If an employer offers work that fits your restrictions and you refuse it, you can lose your temporary total disability benefits. On the other hand, if an employer can’t or won’t offer you a suitable light duty job, you stay eligible for those weekly checks. Southern Logistics Inc.’s first response to Michael was that they “didn’t have anything” for him. We hear this all the time. Sometimes it’s true, but other times it’s a tactic to push an employee off payroll and get them to quit or take a lowball settlement. In practice, employers are constantly balancing their legal duties with their financial bottom line. The goal of the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation (SBWC) is to get people back to work, but safely.

The Role of the WC-240 Form

When Southern Logistics told Michael there was no light duty, his next move was a big one. This is where the SBWC Form WC-240 comes into play. Its official title is “Request and Order for Change of Physician or Treatment or Return to Work or Light Duty,” and it’s a multi-purpose document. For Michael, it was the formal way to tell his employer and the SBWC about his restrictions and to officially challenge their “no work available” stance. When a treating physician properly fills out a WC-240, it clearly spells out the employee’s physical limits and the date they can come back to work under those limits.

In my experience with Georgia workers’ comp cases, I’ve found that people often misread the WC-240. It’s a formal communication tool, not just another doctor’s note. Once an employer gets a WC-240 with specific restrictions, they have to make a choice: offer a job that fits, or keep paying temporary total disability benefits. If they stick to their story about no work being available, they have to be ready to prove it, especially if the restrictions are broad enough that a desk job or some other administrative role seems like a reasonable fit.

Disputing “No Work Available” and the Functional Capacity Evaluation

After talking to an attorney, Michael learned he didn’t have to just take his employer’s word for it. His lawyer told him to request a Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE). An FCE is a very thorough, objective test performed by a physical or occupational therapist that measures exactly what a person can do physically in a work context. It’s far more scientific and detailed than a standard doctor’s note, providing a much clearer picture of an injured worker’s actual abilities.

The FCE is often the pivot point in a light duty fight. In Michael’s case, the FCE not only backed up his doctor’s restrictions but also added more detail about his lifting endurance and true range of motion. Armed with this report, his lawyer sent another letter to Southern Logistics Inc., restating Michael’s availability for suitable work and attaching the FCE results. The letter also made it clear that if no suitable job was offered, Michael would expect his temporary total disability checks to continue, as required by O.C.G.A. Section 34-9-240, the law that deals with what happens when you refuse suitable employment.

Employers can also play games with the term “suitable employment.” They might offer a job that technically meets your restrictions but is at a different facility hours away, pays much less, or involves mind-numbing tasks, all in the hope that you’ll just say no. An attorney’s job here is to make sure the work being offered is genuinely “suitable” and not just a trick to cut off your benefits.

The Resolution: A Modified Position

With the FCE results and a clear legal argument, Michael’s attorney started negotiating with the workers’ comp insurer for Southern Logistics Inc. The insurance company, seeing how strong Michael’s claim was and facing the prospect of paying disability benefits for a long time, started taking the situation more seriously. They couldn’t just ignore the detailed medical evidence. After a few weeks of discussion, Southern Logistics offered Michael a modified job in the administrative office, where he would handle inventory reconciliation and data entry. It was a perfect match for his restrictions (mostly sitting, no heavy lifting) and his skills. The pay was a little less than his warehouse job, but it got him back to work, let him continue his recovery, and kept his income flowing.

Michael took the modified job. It wasn’t what he used to do, but it was a way forward. He kept up with physical therapy and slowly regained the strength in his shoulder. The light duty work let him stay productive and avoid the financial disaster of being completely out of work. This kind of outcome, returning to a modified job, is often best for both sides, and it shows that with the right medical paperwork and legal pressure, a light duty position can often be found even after the company first says no.

The real takeaway is that you have to be persistent and you have to have everything documented. If it weren’t for Dr. Sharma’s detailed restrictions and the follow-up FCE, Michael’s employer might have gotten away with saying no suitable work existed. And without a lawyer, Michael might have felt forced into taking a bad settlement or just giving up on the benefits he was owed under Georgia law. Trying to handle these cases alone is a common mistake. The system is complicated, and the insurance company is not there to help you.

What Michael Learned and What You Should Know

Michael’s story shows a few things about how light duty workers’ comp really works in Georgia. First, don’t ever just accept an employer’s first “no” when it comes to light duty. Always get your treating physician to write down very specific medical restrictions. Second, learn what the WC-240 form is and how it can force the issue. Third, if you’re in a dispute, an FCE can give you the objective proof you need to back up your claim. Finally, don’t try to go it alone. Your ability to get back to work and collect the benefits you’re entitled to often depends on having experienced legal help to assert your rights.