Getting Employees Back to Work 

Did you know: 

• Injured workers who miss more than six months of work have about a 50 percent chance of returning to work.
• Workers who miss more than one year have only a 25 percent chance of returning to work.

On the other hand, injured workers who miss no days from work have the best chance of a full recovery from an on-the-job injury. 

One of the best ways you can hold down claims costs is by having a return-to-work (RTW) program in place that offers modified duty jobs to injured employees. And, Pinnacol’s return-to-work specialists can help you with all aspects of implementing an effective RTW program — at no additional cost to you.

We also offer a free RTW CD that can show you the basics of building a RTW program. To order your free CD — or to speak with a return-to-work specialist — call us at 303.361.4000 or 1.800.873.7242. You can also order your CD online.

Return-to-Work

Pinnacol can provide you with resources and a plan of action for getting employees back to work quickly and safely. These include: 

• Return-to-work programs — We can provide written guidelines outlining a step-by-step process for an effective return-to-work policy.
• Modified duty task identification — Our return-to-work specialists have identified modified-duty tasks for 43 industries in Colorado. For other industries, a return-to-work specialist can visit your workplace to help identify appropriate tasks.
• Modified duty assistance — Our specialists can assist employers in formally offering modified duty to injured employees.

Modified Duty

As part of your return-to-work (RTW) program, make sure you have a written modified duty policy in place so that when injuries occur, you can be proactive in getting injured employees back to work. 

Here are the steps you need to take:

• Create and write a modified duty policy that includes preplanned modified-duty tasks. Your return-to-work specialist can assist you in developing these tasks.
• Share your written modified duty policy with your employees so they know you will offer modified duty work following a work-related injury.
• Give a copy of your written policy to your medical providers so they know what types of modified duty tasks you have available; this will make it easier for them to discuss RTW options with your employees.
• Offer modified duty work immediately following the injured worker's initial visit to the provider; this will help decrease lost-time days. Your return-to-work specialist can assist you.