Return-to-Work

What Are the goals of a Return-To-Work Program?

To provide participants and stakeholders with the opportunity to gain operational leverage by maximizing benefits of a Return-to-Work alternative duty program. Implemented and executed properly, it can deliver overall cost savings to the system, more complete wage replacement for employees, and hopefully, better focus on work hardening or conditioning (where available and when amenable). Plus, it can provide clarity on return to full duty.

What Are the Objectives of a Return-To-Work Program?

1. Create a Return-to-Work program to maximize potential within the existing claims management system to temporarily accommodate alternative duty employees in a medically managed program of rehabilitation to return to full duty.
2. The Return-to-Work program can be administered through the existing workers’ compensation administration systems with the cooperation of the healthcare providers (and support from any unions if such are involved). It utilizes job descriptions, functional capacity evaluations, medically managed Return-to-Work programs (to the extent the employer can temporarily accommodate) and/or workers can fulfill alternative jobs or temporary accommodated tasks/jobs, coordinated with a work hardening/conditioning component.
3. The program would involve five general phases, including: Set Up, Roll Out, Adaptation and Adjustment, Quarterly Monitoring and Annual Auditing.

Elements of a Return-to-Work (RTW) Alternative Duty Program

1. A well-written program.
2. A primer orientation and return-on-investment training for key actors involved in the implementation and execution of the program.
3. Train supervisors on their specific role in the program, their impact on the success of employee’s utilization of the plan and return to work.
4. Early notification to employees involved, preferably by their supervisor, of the offer of potential interim alternative duty until full duty is possible, in coordination with their healthcare provider.
5. Provides for early (and regular) contact with healthcare provider to manage employee’s alternative duty plan, and ultimate return to work.
6. Onsite job assessments and written functional job descriptions, based on written existing job descriptions.
7. On-site assessments include those conducted by the medical providers and by occupational health and safety specialists or ergonomists.
8. Medical assessments on functional capacity evaluations, and job/task re-design.
9. Requires a designated program coordinator and key participants, including a review team that involves the relevant job supervisor(s).
10. Possibly work conditioning or work hardening rehabilitation plan, integrated with alternative duty schedule.
11. Can involve the same duties for shorter periods of time or days or altered job tasks arrangements and duties.
12. Most strongly associated with shorter disability, stronger likelihood to return to work (at all), lower costs and improved employee morale.