How to Write a Letter to Get An Employee Back to Work from Workers Compensation Injury

How to Get Your Employee to Turn In the Work Ability Form (WAF). You may call it an Injury Form or Medical Treatment Form, or some other name.
The work ability form is the best method to get your injured employee back to work. Studies show the sooner an employee returns, the smoother your workers’ compensation procedures run. This is true for both the employee and the employer.

Transitional duties take into account an injured employee’s limited or changed abilities is a way to get them back on the job and performing some of their former functions.

It is better to have the worker at your worksite even at lowered production or capabilities than at home recuperating to 100 percent, a feat which may never happen.

Workers’ Comp Kit suggests a formal letter explaining your transitional duty policy to the employee and introducing the work ability form (WAF) to be filled out by the physician.

Here are some tips for your letter:

1. Send it priority mail via the United State Postal Service with delivery confirmation.
2. Explain what transitional duty is and it is a company policy.
3. Let the employee know the transitional job will be reviewed each week as during recuperation.
4. Enclose the work ability form and explain the employee is required to have the medical provider fill it out.
5. Encourage your employee to let the provider know ALL restrictions can be accommodated by your facility.
6. Let the employee know the form is due back within seven calendar days and the transitional duty job begins on the day the form is returned.

7. Let the employee know the form is due back within seven calendar days and the transitional duty job begins on the day the form is returned.
8. Assure them the company health director will work with them to develop tasks appropriate to their current medical condition and state. (workersxzcompxzkit)
9. Be sure to include claim number and all relevant addresses and contact information on the letter.

It can be easy to treat injuries with suspicion, but this is generally not a good policy. Professionalism is key. In general, most recuperating employees feel better if they can maintain a sense of their normal schedule and feel as though they are still contributing at work.

Author: Robert Elliott, J.D.

 

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