WC Tip of the Week: Revisit your RTW program

It is a good idea to periodically assess your Return to Work program to make sure it meets your company’s needs. If you aren’t able to accommodate any and all work restrictions, you are missing out on an opportunity to reduce your total indemnity exposure (as well as insurance premiums). Not accommodating work restrictions and paying temporary disability could also mean a significant increase to your ex-modification!

If you don’t have a RTW program – you need one asap! An effective RTW program is the single biggest impact an employer can have on their workers' comp program (outside of not having an injuries in the first place). Numerous studies have outlined the benefits of a Return to Work program for both employees and employers (reduction in treatment time frames, lower litigation rates, higher worker morale, claimants can earn their normal wages, and of course, lower indemnity paid and reserve amounts).

A few things to consider:

·        Cap it – I’d recommend capping the RTW program after a set period of time (i.e. six months). This should not be an indefinite benefit

·        Notify the doctor during the first exam that you can accommodate any and all restrictions. Have a detailed job analysis/job description available to help the doctor determine what injured worker can and cannot do

·        Make sure the injured worker contacts you after every doctor’s visit to relay work restrictions – you should not have to chase them down – this should be your company policy

·        Make sure your Telephonic Nurse Case Manager is pushing the physician to address this at each visit (and in the report). If you have one assigned, be sure they understand your RTW bandwidth and are on the same page

·        Consider using an offsite RTW program (i.e. ReEmployability or Workfinders USA) if you cannot accommodate work restrictions in your office/facility/job site. They can place your injured worker with a non-profit organization within the injured worker's restrictions. Stop findings excuses not to accommodate.

·        Underwriters/Carriers are much more willing to budge on pricing (some will even give discounts) if they know the employer has a robust RTW program. Your broker should be highlighting this and relaying it on your behalf.

·        Charge back program – Large companies with multi-locations facing difficulty with "buy-in" from management at certain stores/facilities/job sites should consider charging each location a penalty for each day of lost time. When each location is its own income/profit center, this will directly impact bottom line. This will incentivize the director of each location to consider RTW.

If you would like to further discuss how to implement a RTW program or strengthen your current program, feel free to contact me at [email protected] or on my cell at 714-200-4125.