Glossary

Light duty

Temporary, modified work offered to an injured employee whose doctor has set restrictions, so the person stays on the job while recovering from a work injury.

Also called: modified duty, transitional duty, transitional work, restricted duty

Light duty is a temporary assignment built around a doctor's written work restrictions. The injured employee might work a shorter shift, answer phones instead of lifting, inspect instead of climb, or train new hires. The employer designs the tasks to fit the restrictions on the physician's form, not the employee's preferences or the supervisor's guess.

The money case is plain. While an employee is off work, the workers' compensation insurer typically pays wage replacement, commonly two-thirds of the average weekly wage up to a state maximum (temporary total disability). If you offer work inside the restrictions, those payments can stop or shrink to partial wage loss, and a lost-time claim may become a medical-only claim. Medical-only claims count for much less in the experience modification rate. What happens when an employee refuses a suitable offer varies by state; many reduce or suspend wage benefits, so check the statute.

Two pitfalls recur. Work outside the restrictions invites reinjury and a second claim. And light duty is meant to be temporary, ending at maximum medical improvement; after that the question becomes permanent accommodation. The ADA and FMLA run on separate tracks. A written policy is the core of any return-to-work program, and the guide on light duty and transitional work shows how to set one up.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

In the index now

Related terms

Return-to-work program An employer program that brings injured workers back to modified or transitional duty once a doctor clears them, to shorten claims and keep them connected. Temporary total disability Workers' comp wage-loss benefit paid while an injured worker cannot work at all but is expected to recover, commonly about two-thirds of pre-injury pay. Maximum medical improvement (MMI) The point in a work injury when the condition has stabilized and further recovery is not expected, so permanent impairment can be measured and rated. Independent medical examination (IME) A one-time exam of an injured worker by a physician who is not treating them, used to assess diagnosis, cause, treatment needs, impairment and ability to work. Experience modification rate (EMR) A multiplier on workers' compensation premium comparing an employer's actual claim losses with the losses expected for its industry and size.

Related guides

How to lower your workers' comp costs Ways to reduce workers' comp premium: correct class codes and payroll, prevent and manage claims, protect your mod, and choose the right program structure. Light duty and transitional work: how to set it up What light duty and transitional work are, how to design assignments that match medical restrictions, and where the ADA, FMLA and state comp rules limit you. Return-to-work programs: how to build one How to write a return-to-work program that gets injured employees back on the job safely, cuts lost-time claim costs and holds up under the ADA and FMLA. Workers' comp, the ADA and FMLA: how they overlap How one workplace injury can trigger workers' comp, FMLA leave and ADA accommodation at once, and what EEOC and DOL guidance say employers must do at each step.