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Steps for Employees To Return-To-Work After Injury or Illness

Steps for Employees To Return-To-Work After Injury or Illness

Additional absences may occur simply because there is no clear path to return to work, the employer has no plan to manage injured workers back to full duty, or the employee may be disabled by a medical provider who does not communicate with the employer.

Following are suggested steps to put in place:

  • 1. Communicate to all employees orally or in writing that every injury must be reported immediately.
  • 2. Establish a working relationship with high quality medical providers, making sure employees know about them.
  • 3. Maintain careful documentation on injured employees, up to and including layoff and termination, as appropriate. 
  • 4. Maintain communications with all medical providers who are treating employees for work-related injuries. 
  • 5. As soon as possible after an injury, meet with the claimant to complete basic injury documentation forms. Make sure the employee describes the incident in detail. Document the conversation carefully; later, you may want to cross-reference it with any subsequent changes to the story. 
  • 6. Investigate the incident by interviewing all witnesses. Ask witnesses for written, signed statements regarding their knowledge of the alleged incident. 
  • 7. Send the employee to a network physician. 
  • 8. Immediately notify the workers compensation insurer that there are doubts regarding the validity of the claim. The insurer will take additional care in determining compensability. 
  • 9. Maintain frequent contact with the employee. Clearly state that the door is open to return to work. Document all conversations with the claimant, making note of the comments attitudes, and willingness to return to the job. 
  • 10 . Provide the workers compensation insurer or administrator with as many details as possible. In some cases, details regarding a claimant’s activities outside of work also may be important.

Reprinted with permission. © CCH

Additional absences may occur simply because there is no clear path to return to work

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