Tampa, FL – ReEmployAbility, a national provider of specialty early return-to-work (RTW) services and transitional employment programs, recently published its latest Program Results Summary. The summary highlights the Transition2Work program’s key performance results for fiscal year 2013, as well as historical program results through December 2013.
In fiscal year 2013, ReEmployAbility’s Transition2Work program client claim referral volume increased by 97% over 2012 volume. Through this program, the company places an employer’s injured worker on temporary modified duty work assignments at local nonprofit organizations when their employer cannot accommodate their medical restrictions. The program helps the employee by allowing him to retain his connection to his pre-injury employer and benefits of employment, while participating in transitional work within the community. In turn, employers benefit by returning employees to work quickly, thereby lowering Workers’ Compensation claims costs that impact experience ratios for future insurance premiums.
Nationwide, thousands of injured workers participated in the company’s Transition2Work program in 2013, saving clients more than $11 million in Workers’ Compensation costs in fiscal year 2013 and $21.76 million through December 2013. ReEmployAbility measured the savings of the Transition2Work RTW program by calculating the number of days to return to work over or under those recommended by the Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) for the specific injury, and the corresponding cost per day. Employers who participate in the Transition2Work program realize cost savings when employees return to work quickly. Historically, injured workers remain in the Transition2Work program for an average of only 43 days. Of those who are offered a transitional assignment, 7% return to their pre-injury position before their assignment start date. Of those who do not initially comply with the program, 51% either return to work, reach Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI), or settle their Workers’ Compensation claim, which benefits the employee, employer, and insurance company.
ReEmployAbility’s extensive nationwide network of nonprofit partners plays an integral role in the Transition2Work program’s success. The company added over 4,000 new partners to its network during 2013, and this now 20,000-partner-strong network allows the company to locate an appropriate placement for an injured worker in 2 days or less and maintain an overall placement success rate of 98%. Additionally, the large network of nonprofits helps ensure ReEmployAbility can find an appropriate accommodation for each injured worker, which has contributed to the program’s very low (less than 0.01%) rate of re-injury or litigation.
Beyond the cost and time savings to employers and insurance companies, research supports significant psychological benefits for injured workers who participate in a RTW program. For every week an injured worker is out of work, the probability of the individual returning to work decreases. RTW programs such as Transition2Work allow the injured worker to engage in meaningful and productive work, keep a flexible work schedule, maintain daily work habits, make a positive impact on the community, and return to work faster.
Click here to see the Program Summary: ReEmployAbility Transition2Work 2013 Program Results (PDF)
Source: ReEmployAbility