Not the same as physical therapy, medical treatment, or a disability rating, vocational rehabilitation focuses on getting an injured or disabled person back into suitable work. It can include testing, job analysis, transferable-skills assessment, retraining, education, work hardening, resume help, and job placement services. The goal is not simply medical recovery; it is restoration of earning capacity and return to employment that matches the person's functional limits, education, and work history.

In practice, it matters when a worker cannot return to the same job after an injury. A crane operator with lifting restrictions, for example, may be physically stable but still unable to perform former duties. Vocational rehabilitation can help determine whether that person can return to modified work, needs retraining, or faces a lasting wage loss. Those findings often affect workers' compensation benefits, temporary total disability, permanent partial disability, and disputes over earning capacity.

In Louisiana, vocational rehabilitation is addressed in the Louisiana Workers' Compensation Act, La. Rev. Stat. § 23:1226. That statute authorizes rehabilitation services when an employee cannot earn wages equal to pre-injury pay because of a job-related injury. A licensed professional counselor may evaluate the worker and develop a return-to-work plan. In a claim, disagreements over suitable jobs, cooperation with rehabilitation, or post-injury wage capacity can directly affect indemnity benefits and settlement value. In maritime and Jones Act cases, vocational evidence can also be central to proving future lost earnings.