Vocational Rehabilitation was a valuable benefit extinguished by law at the end of 2008. The only retraining available (other than the rare employer sponsored plan) is through the State Department of Rehabilitation or through the inaptly named "supplemental job displacement benefit" or "voucher." In this time of cutbacks and budget woes, there are limited offerings. None the less, check out the State Rehab FAQ page and take advantage of any opportunities available to you. After eliminating vocational rehabilitation, the legislators provided for a "supplemental job displacement benefit (SJDB)" frequently referred to as a "voucher." There are so many limitations to this benefit, that few can use it. See the FAQ page.
Legislative attempts to get the voucher issued earlier -- when it
might be of more help to the injured worker -- bogged down in
committee for years, then was vetoed by Governor Brown in October
2011. See his veto message. Remember that if you cannot return to your "regular or customary" work at the time of the injury, you may be entitled to State Disability Insurance through the California Employment Development Department (EDD). While in the past we relied on the vocational rehabilitation benefit to either help the injured worker return to their employer, with reasonable accommodation, or to retrain for other employment, we now need to pursue rights under the Government Code sections that prevent discrimination against disabled workers. To learn more about these rights, visit these sites: http://www.disabilityaccessinfo.ca.gov/lawsregs.htm http://www.disabilityaccessinfo.ca.gov/employ.htm http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ada/ada_faq.html If you are not sure what to do with your life in the aftermath of a work injury, read this classic, now updated: What Color Is Your Parachute? 2012: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers It is available from most librairies. | 
