State of Maryland

A Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Specialist is the full performance level of work identifying, investigating, and coordinating the evaluation and monitoring of compensable and non‑compensable workers' compensation claims that qualify for vocational rehabilitation services.  Employees in this classification ensure that workers filing claims receive vocational rehabilitation serv­ices required under the Workers' Compensation Commission law.

Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.   Employees in this classification receive general supervision from a Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Supervisor.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Trainee and the Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Specialist are differentiated on the basis of the degree of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees.  The Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Trainee learns to perform duties under close supervision; while the Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Specialist performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.  The Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Specialist is differentiated from the Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Supervisor in that the Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Supervisor has supervisory responsibility for lower-level Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Trainees and Specialists.

Identifies, from reports and claims filed with the Workers' Compensation Commission, those that appear to be appropriate for vocational rehabilitation;

Determines if suitable rehabilitation services are being provided to injured workers and, when appropriate, refers both compensable and non compensable cases to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation;

Reviews the reports of injury and medical reports of cases that have been deemed to be compensable under workers' compensation law and identifies the type of rehabilitation services that are most applicable in each case;

Coordinates vocational evaluation testing of compensable cases with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation or with private providers and reviews the evaluation reports;

Determines if a services provider has given the vocational tests most suitable to each client;

Reviews and approves stipulated rehabilitation services plans;

Refers claimants to public or private vocational rehabilitation services according to Commission or court orders;

Monitors periodic reports, that insurers are required to submit, to ensure that claimants are receiving the rehabilitation services that were negotiated or were mandated by a court or the Commission;

Participates in workshops and seminars and conducts periodic training sessions for the purpose of informing rehabilitation services providers, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation personnel, attorneys, insurance companies and other business organizations about the requirements of workers' compensation laws and regulations;

Maintains a list of the rehabilitation services providers that are required to register with the Commission;

May assist supervisor in scheduling meetings with all parties when there is a disagreement about the adequacy of the rehabilitation services plan being offered to the claimant;

May assist supervisor in providing legislative testimony about matters pertaining to vocational rehabilitation for claimants under workers' compensation law;

May testify in court or before the Commission concerning the basis of a rehabilitation services recommendation;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of organic and functional disabilities;

Knowledge of the way a specific disability affects vocational skills and abilities;

Knowledge of rehabilitation services available in the community and of their applicability to a variety of disabilities;

Knowledge of medical and legal terminology pertaining to accidental injuries and to disabilities;

Knowledge of workers' compensation and vocational rehabilitation laws and regulations;

Knowledge of the theory, practice and interpretation of vocational, educational, and psychological testing;

Knowledge of statistics;

Skill in moderating disputes between claimants, insurers, and rehabilitation service providers;

Ability to communicate effectively;

Ability to evaluate the validity and reliability of test results;

Ability to use percentiles, correlations, and standard deviation concepts in analyzing assessments of claimants;

Ability to review medical reports of disabilities and to understand the effect the described disability has on the workers' vocational skills and abilities;

Ability to investigate and determine the duties, physical demands, training and experience required for the occupations existing in a worker's local job market;

Ability to determine which workers can benefit from vocational rehabilitation services;

Ability to secure the cooperation of employers, service providers, and others in devising and implementing rehabilitation plans;

Ability to analyze and explain the effect that proposed legislation could have on the rehabilitation of injured workers;

Ability to testify in legal proceedings.

Experience: Six years of experience in vocational rehabilitation involving case management, counseling, job placement, therapy or the review of claims to determine the need for vocational rehabilitation services.

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in special education, counseling and guidance, psychology or a closely related field that includes testing and statistics and two years of experience in vocational rehabilitation involving case management, counseling, job placement, therapy or the review of claims to determine the need for vocational rehabilitation services for the required experience.

2. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Master's degree from an accredited college or university in rehabilitation counseling, special education, counseling and guidance, psychology or a closely related field that includes testing and statistics for five years of the required experience.

3. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in Workforce Research and Analysis classifications or Workforce Research and Analysis specialty codes in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience. 

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit, as indicated by the designation of S (Supervisor), M (Manager), T (Agency Head), U (Board or Commission Member), W (Student), X (Used by Agency or Excluded by Executive Order), or Z (Confidential).  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation.  An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be  compensated for that overtime as provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance levels in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class as defined in the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification, and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification. 

A Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Specialist is the full performance level of work identifying, investigating, and coordinating the evaluation and monitoring of compensable and non‑compensable workers' compensation claims that qualify for vocational rehabilitation services.  Employees in this classification ensure that workers filing claims receive vocational rehabilitation serv­ices required under the Workers' Compensation Commission law.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from a Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Supervisor.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Trainee and the Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Specialist are differentiated on the basis of the degree of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees.  The Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Trainee learns to perform duties under close supervision; while the Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Specialist performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.  The Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Specialist is differentiated from the Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Supervisor in that the Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Supervisor has supervisory responsibility for lower-level Workers' Compensation Rehabilitation Trainees and Specialists.