287.146. Employee authorized to receive vocational rehabilitation, when--duties of director.

MISSOURI STATUTES AND CODES

287.146. Employee authorized to receive vocational rehabilitation, when--duties of director.

Employee authorized to receive vocational rehabilitation, when--dutiesof director.

287.146. 1. When an employee has sustained injury ofsufficient severity, as provided in section 287.148, as theresult of an injury arising out of and in the course ofemployment, the employee may, if authorized by the employer andthe insurer, receive vocational rehabilitation services that arereasonably necessary to restore him to suitable, gainfulemployment.

2. The director shall administer sections 287.144 to287.149, and shall:

(1) Maintain a registry of all qualified rehabilitationproviders and rehabilitation practitioners whether public orprivate, including practitioners directly employed by aninsurer, employer or self-insurer that render rehabilitationservices to injured workers in this state;

(2) Analyze and report annually the results and cost ofrehabilitation assignments;

(3) Review vocational rehabilitation plans and disapprovewithin fourteen days of receipt, if such plans do not meetcriteria set forth in subsections 1 to 5* of section 287.148.The director may review plans and supervise the completion ofapproved plans;

(4) Review the progress of rehabilitation under theapplicable plan filed by the rehabilitation practitioner orprovider to determine if such plan meets the criteria set forthin subsections 1 to 5 of section 287.148 throughout the periodthe plan is in force;

(5) Appoint vocational rehabilitation monitors to assist inthe implementation of subdivisions (3) to (5) of thissubsection. A monitor shall have the qualifications as set forthfor vocational rehabilitation practitioners and at least twoyears of experience in the field of workers' compensationdisabilities.