Light Duty Return to Work Program Implementation Tips

When a worker gets injured on the job, the clock starts ticking. Every day that goes by is going to potentially cost a day of comp wages, provided the case is compensable. Even if the investigation is ongoing and has not been accepted yet, accrued wages still pile up if the injured worker is removed from the workplace.

The way to prevent a lot of this cost is to place a worker into your light-duty return to work program. The costs associated with keeping a worker out of work until medical release versus the benefits of a worker put into a light duty return to work program are amazing. You can cut down on a significant amount of wage loss exposure just by finding the injured worker a job to do that can accommodate their restrictions.

Here are tips for a successful return to work program:

• Have accurate, detailed job descriptions for each position you have

No matter if it is a light duty job classification or not, you need to have a detailed job description of what tasks this worker be will doing during the day. A physician will not release a worker that is placed on inactive status back to work unless they know exactly what the worker will be doing. Plus, who knows what the worker is telling the doctor about their job duties on any given day.

These job descriptions need to be written up and stored on the computer network where you can easily access them. Every single position in your company should have a detailed job description. In addition to that, you need to know what jobs are assigned to light duty workers, and what tasks those jobs entail. If you have trouble, utilize your Human Resources department to help with describing the jobs. Be sure to address sitting, lifting, bending, climbing, reaching, overhead work, floor to ground lifting, instrument use, materials used and their weights, etc. Also, mention the level in which the work is performed. Is the job performed at a workbench at waist level, or 5’ off the ground? Can this worker sit while performing this job? Can you give the worker a 10-minute break for every hour worked? All of these things should be addressed and you should be as detailed as possible.

You should also point out in the job description that some tasks can be flexible to accommodate restrictions. Maybe an assistant can be assigned to do the heavy lifting, carrying, or stooping. You want to outline the tasks as best as you can while at the same time showing that you can modify the job to accommodate whatever restriction the doctor needs to assign that injured employee.

• Put someone in charge of assigning light duty, or have a group of people oversee your light duty work program

If every manager working on the floor passes the buck to the other managers about who has the responsibility to oversee the worker in your return to work program, it is not going to be very effective. Communication is a key element for success. Workers need to know who they will report to should they be released to work with medical restrictions. This way no confusion should arise as to who the worker should go see about work, and which person in management is in charge of the program in general.

The return to work committee should known throughout the company, with monthly or quarterly meetings about which injured workers are in the program, how long they have been there, and when they are expected to go back to full duty. This way everyone knows their role in the program, and they are all involved in some aspect. The committee should report to an upper level of management, who is tracking the time and dollars saved thanks to having a light-duty work program. It all comes down to communication with people knowing what their role is, what needs to be done, who is getting it done, and who is in charge.

• Someone needs to be in charge of following up on medical visits and injury updates

Should a worker get injured, who do they bring their medical slip to? Who from their employer keeps tabs on the progress overall and manages the transition from injured worker to active worker? Who matches jobs to personnel with medical restrictions? Who is contacting the doctor to obtain detailed medical restrictions? Who is working with the doctor to get a release into a light duty work program if the worker has a “No work” status?

These are all questions that have to have one answer. The most effective program will have one person or one small group of people i.e. your return to work committee, which can answer all of these questions. Every worker in your plant should know who the return to work team is, and how to contact them post-medical appointment to drop off their latest medical slip and to report for light duty work. All employees need to know the process about what happens should an injury occur. You get hurt, you report to your supervisor, they send you to the occupational clinic, you return back to work with your medical slip and give it to “Brian,” and then “Brian” takes it from there. Brian is your new boss until you get released back to full duty. There should be no confusion in this process. You have to drill it into the heads of your workers so they know the process, and it does not matter if you are a small company of 12 people or a larger plant with 500 employees. The process should always be the same, no matter what.

• I do not have a light duty program, and I do not want to have one. What can I do?

The first answer to you should get a return to work program. The sooner you implement this program, the sooner you will be controlling wage loss leakage, the sooner you will be reducing your comp dollars, and the sooner you will be seeing more production out of your injured workforce.

But for those stubborn cats still out there, I cannot force you to do anything. The best advice I can give you, should you wish to keep a worker out of work until they have a full duty release, is to push the doctor constantly to get the worker to full duty. If a worker is not working, there should be no reason why they cannot make their scheduled doctor or physical therapy appointments. They should not have to reschedule time and time again, since if they are not working and they are hurt, what are they doing where they cannot make their appointment?

You need to monitor the medical process as close as possible. If this is a simple strain injury, and the worker is no better after 3 weeks of physical therapy, why is the doctor asking for more physical therapy and not for authorization for a referral to a specialist? Why is an MRI not being performed after 6 weeks of treatment with no objective medical improvement? Why is this claim not moving forward? Why is it stalled out 2 months later after the injury? Why is it taking 1 month to see a specialist after you have received authorization for the referral? If you have no light duty program, you have to be all over the doctor, and all over your injured worker. That worker had better be keeping you updated on their progress, when their follow-ups are, how much longer they are expected to be out of commission, and what the medical treatment plan is. If neither party knows what is going on, then you need to take control with your adjuster and come up with a way to keep the claim moving forward. You need to be aggressive and involved at every level. This is going to be time consuming and a lot of work, but you have to do it because every week that goes by is another week of comp that your worker is costing your company.

Summary

The best offense is a good defense. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a light duty return to work program, and to have a committee running that program. That committee needs to be involved, constantly updating and improving the program to make it work effectively. The sooner you put all of these pieces in to place, the sooner you can reap the benefits of lower insurance costs, more productive injured workers, and a more streamlined injury process.

Author Michael B. Stack, CPA, Director of Operations, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in employer communication systems and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. He is a writer, speaker, and website publisher. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com. Contact: mstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.

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