|
Services
> Transitional
Work
A transitional
work program is a progressive, individualized return-to-work
program focused on transitioning injured workers with temporary
limitations back to their original jobs. Implementation
can significantly reduce worker’s compensation costs by
allowing injured workers to perform transitional work duties
during their recovery. The program offers injured employees
a productive work option – as opposed to just light duty
– that maintains positive morale for all your employees.
Benefits
- Employers
can realize direct cost savings with a reduction in overall
employee absences.
- Employers
can eliminate the need to hire and train replacement employees,
avoiding the unnecessary delays and inefficiencies created
when valuable employees are missing.
- By
returning injured workers to work as quickly and safely
as possible, the potential for legal complications is
lessened.
- By
experiencing minimal lost time, BWC claim reserves are
reduced or prevented entirely.
Things
to Remember
- If
an employer is prepared to offer transitional duty, we
recommend that the offer be made to the injured worker
in writing via certified mail and copies of the offer
sent to the BWC, the MCO, and Hunter Consulting.
- If
an injured workers physician of record agrees to the transitional
duty position that the employer has to offer and the injured
worker refuses to accept the transitional duty position,
ongoing compensation may be terminated.
- To
benefit fully from this cost control strategy, the employer
must pay the injured worker their normal wages/salary
from the onset of the injury. If paying the injured worker
at a lower rate, the injured worker may have the option
to file for wage loss compensation. Wage loss can carry
a high reserve charge and adversely affect an employer’s
premium dollars. By paying the normal wages/salary from
the beginning the BWC will not add a reserve.
Procedure
- Obtain
restrictions from the treating physician
- Determine
what tasks the employee may be able to perform
- Offer
the modified work to an employee in writing, specifically
detailing:
- Time
& Place to start
- Task
to Perform
- Rate
of pay
- Duration
Once
an employee is back on modified duty, employers cannot forget
about them. It is important to obtain regular updates on
employee’s injury and on performance of assigned tasks.
Modified/Transitional/Light
Duty is simply providing an injured worker with tasks they
can perform with the restrictions of their injuries. Statistics
show that claim costs can be reduced by 21% to 33% when
return-to-work occurs within the first 3 weeks. In addition,
claim costs tend to increase by more than 50% if the injured
worker is off longer than 90 days.
Contact
us for more information.
|
