Basically, "suitable alternative employment" is a legal term used to describe a light duty job offered by an employer that you are physically capable of doing.  If you accept the job, then you will receive weekly workers' compensation for part of the difference between your average weekly wage from your regular job and the weekly earnings in the "suitable alternative employment" job.  If you refuse the "suitable alternative employment" job, the insurance company may file a petition against you in court. If the judge believes that you were able to do the job that was offered, he or she can issue an order allowing the insurance company to reduce your weekly benefit to what it would have been if you had accepted the job, i.e., your weekly benefit will be reduced based on the difference between what you were paid in your regular job and what you would have been paid if you accepted the "suitable alternative employment" job.