Support Services

Overview

You and your family may feel overwhelmed following a work-related injury or illness. As the injured worker, you also face the pain and difficulty of the disability itself. The Board’s Licensed Master Social Workers (LMSWs) can find resources to help ease these difficulties. Contact the Board at 877-632-4996 and ask for social work assistance. Read on for more information, and see our fact sheet: Social services: Supporting injured workers and their families.

Services Provided

The Board’s LMSWs:

• Advocate on behalf of injured workers if:
  • There are financial issues with landlords, utility companies and other creditors
  • There are benefit needs from insurers
  • Assistance is needed in finding medical providers
• Make referrals on behalf of injured workers to:
  • Community agencies such as the Department of Social Services
  • Other Workers’ Compensation Board staff for appropriate service referrals, including for Vocational Rehabilitation
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
  • Emergency shelters
  • Soup kitchens
  • Food pantries
  • Other community resources
• Assist injured works with:
  • Finding information and support regarding the claims process
  • Locating medical providers
  • Obtaining information and documentation on past and present claims
  • Contacting workers’ compensation insurers to inquire about needed benefits
  • Stress due to job-related issues or injury
• Distribute correspondence related to:
  • Financial assistance
  • Housing
  • Claims inquiries
  • Community agencies
  • Social Security
  • Medicare
  • Workers' compensation claim documentation

All services provided are free, confidential and available to all injured workers.

Return-to-Work

Assist with Return-to-Work: LMSWs look at the financial and emotional barriers that may be delaying your successful return to work and help remove them. Here are some of the services they can provide to assist you in returning to work.

• Assessment and evaluation: The Board’s LMSWs help identify your current strengths and abilities.
• Develop a plan: The LMSWs can work with you on a preliminary plan to help you return to work, specifically considering your emotional and mental wellbeing. This plan could include identifying your goals and steps needed to reach them. They can also intervene against problems that may get in the way of completing these goals.
• Identifying resources and services: The LMSWs can connect you to proper community/mental health agencies. If needed, they’ll refer you to services that help you work through life situations that cause emotional stress.
• Advocacy for access to benefits and services: The LMSWs can provide the supporting documentation you may need to obtain support for housing, financial assistance, food, medical, and vocational support.

Learn more about Return to Work

Language Assistance

In accordance with NYS Language Access Policy, language interpretation and/or translation services will be provided for any injured workers with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). If language or other difficulties interfere with your ability to fully understand your rights, please call (877) 632-4996 for free language assistance services.

Contact Us

If you have questions regarding social work assistance, please contact (877) 632-4996.

When requesting social work assistance regarding a workers’ compensation claim, please have the following information available:

• Your name
• Your WCB case number
• Your telephone number, including area code
• Brief description of the problem, including any correspondence received.

General questions on social services can also be directed to: SocialWorkers@wcb.ny.gov