You got hurt on the job. You filed your workers’ comp claim. You’re finally starting to heal. Then your employer hands you a light-duty job offer and says to report Monday morning. Can they actually do that? And what happens if you say no?

Here’s the short answer: yes, your employer can offer light duty in Georgia, and refusing it the wrong way can cost you your benefits. But they have to follow a specific process, and you have real protections along the way. Here’s what every injured worker in Georgia needs to know.

What Counts as “Light Duty” in Georgia?

Light duty is modified work your employer offers while you’re recovering from a workplace injury. It’s supposed to be something you can physically handle within the restrictions your authorized treating physician has set. Think desk work instead of lifting, shorter hours, or tasks that don’t aggravate your injury.

The catch: your employer doesn’t just get to decide what light duty looks like. The job has to be approved by your doctor, and your employer has to follow a specific process to make the offer official.

The WC-240: The Form That Changes Everything

If your employer wants to bring you back on light duty, they have to file a WC-240 form. This isn’t a formality. It’s the document that legally puts you on notice and sets the terms of your return.

The WC-240 spells out:

• The rate of pay you’ll receive
• The job duties you’ll be performing
• The schedule you’ll be working

Once you receive a WC-240, you’re required to attempt the job. Georgia law gives you a window where you can try the work for up to 8 hours, and if you genuinely can’t perform it because of your injury, you notify your employer, stop the work, and your benefits are protected.

This is the part most people don’t realize: you don’t get to refuse light duty outright just because you don’t think you can do it. You have to try.

How Employers Misuse Light Duty

Here’s where things get ugly. Some employers use light duty as a tool to push injured workers out instead of bringing them back fairly. We’ve seen it happen to our clients plenty of times.

The miserable-on-purpose job. One of our clients was assigned a “light duty” position that involved sitting in a chair next to a pile of smelly trash all day. The job served no real purpose. The employer was paying him to do nothing useful, hoping he’d quit out of frustration.

The nonprofit placement. Some employers send injured workers to volunteer at a nonprofit and continue paying them through workers’ comp, framing it as light duty. When this happens, we contact the nonprofit directly and let them know the situation,  specifically, that they’re now on the hook for liability if the worker gets hurt while doing tasks for them. Most nonprofits don’t want that exposure, and once they understand what they’ve been pulled into, they typically decline to keep the worker on. That ends the bogus placement and puts the pressure back on the employer to offer something legitimate.

The remote cold-call setup. Before the pandemic, this one was the favorite: send the injured worker home with a headset and have them make cold calls all day. We’re now seeing factory workers handed headsets and told to do phone work from home. It’s the least bogus version of the misuse because at least it’s real work, but it’s still often a setup designed to be unbearable.

If a light-duty offer feels punitive instead of restorative, that’s a red flag worth taking seriously.

Can Refusing Light Duty Cost You Your Benefits?

Yes. If your employer files a valid WC-240 and offers you a job that’s been approved by your doctor, refusing without trying it can result in your benefits being suspended. Georgia takes this seriously.

But here’s the nuance: you have rights inside that process. If the job exceeds your medical restrictions, if the conditions are genuinely unsafe, or if you try it and physically cannot perform the work, you have grounds to stop and protect your claim. The key is documenting everything and going through the proper channels.

What to Do When You Get a Light-Duty Offer

If a WC-240 lands in your hands and something about it feels off, here’s what to do:

Try the job. This is the single most important step. Georgia law requires you to make a good-faith attempt. Refusing outright, even when the offer seems unreasonable, puts your benefits at immediate risk.

Document everything. Take notes on what you’re being asked to do, how your body is responding, and any conditions that exceed your restrictions. Photos and written records matter.

Go back to your doctor. If you genuinely can’t perform the work, your authorized treating physician is your most important ally. Report what happened, get their assessment in writing, and let the medical evidence speak for itself.

Call a workers’ comp attorney. Before you sign anything, before you walk off a job, before you assume your employer is acting in good faith, get advice. The wrong move at this stage can cost you months of benefits.

The Bottom Line

The best defense against a bad-faith light-duty offer is to go try it. Show up, document the experience, and let your doctor and your attorney handle the legal side. Refusing without trying is what gives employers the leverage they’re looking for.

If you’ve been handed a light-duty offer in Georgia and you’re not sure what to do next, don’t guess. The decisions you make in the first few days can shape the rest of your claim.

If you’ve been handed a light-duty offer in Georgia and you’re not sure what to do next, don’t guess. The decisions you make in the first few days can shape the rest of your claim. For more breakdowns of your rights as an injured worker in Georgia, check out our YouTube channel, where we cover common workers’ comp questions and what to watch out for during your claim.

Need help reviewing a light-duty offer? Contact us here at Poirier Law Firm. We’ve spent over 25 years helping Georgia workers protect their benefits when employers try to push them out, and we’ll tell you straight whether your offer is legit or a setup.