Austin, TX – The Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation’s (TDI-DWC) Research and Evaluation Group (REG) recently announced the release of its 2023 Return to Work Report.
One goal of the Texas workers’ compensation system is to return injured employees back to work quickly and safely. The report analyzes return-to-work (RTW) outcomes for the Texas workers’ compensation system between 2007 and 2020, including the percentage of injured employees who initially return to work after their injury; the percentage who remain at work; and the average days away from work.
Key findings included:
- 92% of employees back at work within 1 year of their injury
- 69% of employees back at work within 6 months stay at work
- 2 years for employees who RTW within 6 months to get back to pre-injury wage
- 43 days on average for employees to return to work
The analysis focuses on the RTW outcomes of injured employees who received temporary income benefits (TIBs) for their lost time. RTW rates are calculated using quarterly employee wage information from the Texas Workforce Commission.
The report shows two types of RTW rates: initial RTW and sustained RTW.
- Initial RTW is the percentage of injured employees who returned to work for the first time after their injury.
- Sustained RTW is the percentage of injured employees who returned to work and stayed at work for three consecutive quarters (nine months) after their injury.
Note that the report reflects lower RTW rates both sustained and initial in 2019 then recovering in 2020. This variance may be due to work interruption beginning in early 2020 due to COVID-19.
It is important to note that several factors outside of the Texas workers’ compensation system affect RTW rates for injured employees, including the state’s economy, unemployment rates, industry changes, and changing employee demographics, among others. However, RTW rates are an important barometer of the overall effectiveness of a state’s workers’ compensation system.
Read the free report: TDI-DWC REG: 2023 Return to Work Report (PDF)
Source: TDI-DWC