The Progressive Goal Attainment Program: A practitioner’s perspective of the implementation of the program in an Australian Workers’ Compensation setting

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-42
Author(s):  
Kelly Alderson ◽  
John Baranoff
Keyword(s):  
Goal Attainment ◽  
Injured Workers ◽  
Workers Compensation ◽  
Psychosocial Barriers ◽  
Returning To Work ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Workplace Rehabilitation

AbstractRecently, the Progressive Goal Attainment Program has grown in popularity as an intervention for injured workers experiencing psychosocial barriers when returning to work. This article provides an outline of the program and explores its implementation by a workplace rehabilitation provider. Data from 20 participants have been pooled to highlight typical presentations. Key features of the program and outcomes are discussed.

scholarly journals New Zealand's Workers' Compensation: How Will it Fare in a Changing Environment?

1970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine McDonnell
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Current System ◽  
Injured Workers ◽  
Workers Compensation ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
Accident Compensation ◽  
Tort System ◽  
Compensatory Damages ◽  
The Right ◽  
Safe Working

The Woodhouse Report and the subsequent 1972 Accident Compensation Act was revolutionary. The right to sue to recover compensatory damages arising directly or indirectly out of personal injury was abolished, although there was still the provision to take an action for damages in a court outside of New Zealand. Since then, workers’ compensation in New Zealand has evolved and metamorphosed into our current scheme. However, the effectiveness of workers' compensation schemes in terms providing protecting injured workers and their dependents has been eroded over the years. This paper not only provides a brief background to the current system but also explores the notion that if the current workers’ compensation scheme is failing New Zealand workers, perhaps it is time to look at other alternatives. In particular, the tort system of law may afford workers fairer compensation and may spur employers to provide healthy and safe working environments.

scholarly journals The impact of work injury and permanent impairment on the probability of poverty

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emile Tompa
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Injured Workers ◽  
Simple Random Sample ◽  
Workers Compensation ◽  
Work Injury ◽  
Post Injury ◽  
Permanent Disability ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Poverty Levels

Objectives: We investigate the prevalence of poverty across different workers compensation programs using large representative samples of workers’ compensation claimants who have sustained a permanent impairment from a work injury. The programs, which have existed in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia, Canada over the last 25 years, are the Permanent Disability (PD) program, the Future Economic Loss (FEL) program, the Loss of Earnings (LOE) program, and the Bifurcated Benefits (BB) program. The nature of benefit determination and the return to work supports provided by the four programs are very different. The focus of the study is on evidence of programmatic impact on the probability of poverty in the nine years post injury.Methods: The study included claimants sampled from each of the four programs who sustained a permanent impairment from a work injury. Claimants were identified in a Revenue Canada tax database know as the Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD), which is a longitudinal 20% simple random sample of all Canadian tax filers. Each claimant was matched with similar uninjured controls that were also in the LAD, based on sex, age, labour-market earnings amounts and trajectories in the four years prior to injury, family income, marital status, number of children, and a propensity score. Descriptive analysis was undertaken to compare near poverty, poverty and deep poverty levels of claimants relative to their match controls using data on family and individual earnings over a ten-year period post injury. Statistical modeling was used to determine the probability of poverty and near poverty for claimants versus controls. A key issue of interest was to determine was whether the probability of poverty differed between programs.Results: Based on after-tax adjusted family income, the level of poverty was quite low, less than 2% in every program over a ten-year period. The level of poverty was also lower for claimants than their matched controls, but only nominally so. The BB program had the lowest proportion of poverty followed by the PD program, the FEL program and then the LOE program. In the statistical modelling analysis male claimants did not have a higher probability of poverty compared to controls, though female claimants did. Both male and female claimants had a higher probability of near poverty.Conclusions: Poverty levels are very low for workers’ compensation claimants who sustain permanent impairments from a work injury across different programs and time periods in Ontario and British Columbia. Overall the Bifurcated Benefits program from British Columbia had the lowest proportion of claimants in poverty in absolute terms and relative to non-injured workers. Increased levels of poverty due to work injury and permanent impairment are particularly a concern for female claimants, though both female and male claimants have a higher chance of near poverty compared to non-injured workers.

scholarly journals Quality evaluation of workers’ compensation hospital in Korea

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jong-Uk Won
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Return To Work ◽  
Hospital Stay ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Length Of Hospital Stay ◽  
Work Rate ◽  
Injured Workers ◽  
Workers Compensation ◽  
Occupational Health Care

Background: The length of hospital stay among occupationally injured workers was too long comparing to national health insurance patients in Korea. Also return-to-work rate was low comparing to other countries. The Korea Workers’ Compensation & Welfare (COMWEL) has tried to upgrade the quality of care workers’ compensation contract hospitals since several years. One of the tries was to evaluate the workers’ compensation contract hospitals. However, many hospitals argued the appropriateness of the hospital evaluation.Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate the appropriateness of the workers’ compensation contract hospital evaluation.Methods: The total number of 500 hospitals was selected to evaluate among about 5,500 contracts hospitals according to their size or the number of occupationally injured patients. The main evaluation items were hospital facilities and equipment, health personnel, including doctors, record keeping, appropriateness of hospital care, outcomes, including return-to-work, length of hospital stay, satisfaction, etc. Multiple logistic regression was performed to evaluate the appropriateness of the results of this hospital evaluation. The dependent variables were return-to-work rate and length of hospital stay and independent variables were severity of injured workers, disability rate, company size, etc.Results: The hospitals were classified three categories according to the evaluation score; high, middle, and low quality. The return-to-work rate of high-quality hospitals was significantly higher (odds ratio 1.81; CI 1.27 – 2.58) than others. However, the length of hospital stay was not different among them.Conclusion: Return-to-work rate is one of the useful indicators for evaluating the occupational health care. Even though these are preliminary results, this evaluation method for the occupational health care hospitals would be appropriate for the purpose. The more specific analysis should be needed.

scholarly journals Data linkage to build detailed return-to-work trajectories for work disability research

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Maas ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Mieke Koehoorn ◽  
Chris McLeod
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Return To Work ◽  
Work Disability ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Injured Workers ◽  
Workers Compensation ◽  
Prescription Data ◽  
Cost Benefits ◽  
The Cost

IntroductionMusculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most prevalent chronic condition in Canada, and account for the highest disability costs. Gradual-return-to-work (GRTW) can improve health and labour market outcomes in an aging workforce at risk of MSDs. Linked longitudinal data enables us to generate evidence of GRTW to inform policy needs. Objectives and ApproachThe objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and cost-benefits of GRTW for workers with a work-acquired MSD in British Columbia, Canada. We linked workers’ compensation data, health services data, and prescription data from three governing bodies to 1) identify injured workers with an accepted MSD lost-time injury between 2010 and 2015; 2) identify trajectories of RTW states (injury, sickness absence, GRTW, RTW, and non-RTW) and the probability of transitioning between states; and 3) assess the association between workers characteristics and RTW trajectories, and analyze the cost-benefits of GRTW. ResultsFinal results are expected early 2019. To our knowledge, this will be the first study linking workers’ compensation data (in particular detailed RTW data), health services data and prescription data from three different governing bodies for a comprehensive, population-based investigation of work disability experiences over a longitudinal time period and within the Canadian context. Also, using this data for the purpose of assessing the cost-benefits is new, and will help to prioritize prevention resources and strategies to limit the health and economic impact of work-related MSDs on employers, workers’ compensation boards and society. Conclusion/ImplicationsEvaluating the effects of GRTW on work disability is essential to maximize the health and economic benefits for injured workers. The innovation of this project is that is links three population-based databases to capture multiple indicators of health and work status to build RTW trajectories over time.

More than Meets the Eye: Social, Economic, and Emotional Impacts of Work-Related Injury and Illness

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Lax ◽  
Rosemary Klein
Keyword(s):  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Injured Workers ◽  
Workers Compensation ◽  
Occupational Illness ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Work Related Injury ◽  
Retirement Funds ◽  
Financial Impacts ◽  
The Impact

The impact of an occupational illness or injury on an injured worker can be severe. This study assessed several dimensions of the impact on a group of 50 injured workers, all patients at an Occupational Health Center. The dimensions assessed included aspects of access to health care, support from treating physicians in obtaining Workers' Compensation benefits, financial impacts, the role of attorneys and “Independent Medical Examiners,” and the impact on mental health. The results showed almost two-thirds of respondents lost their health insurance after diagnosis with a work-related illness or injury, most for more than a year. Many reported that their treating physician did not want to become involved in Workers' Compensation, despite indicating a belief that the health condition was work-related. The financial impacts of a work-related diagnosis were particularly striking, with respondents reporting that they were burdened with both costs directly related to the medical care of their condition, and with coping with ongoing general expenses on a reduced income. Many respondents reported depleting savings, borrowing money, taking out retirement funds, and declaring bankruptcy in efforts to cope. Emotionally, respondents almost universally reported their diagnosis and related issues were associated with depression, anxiety, and loss of identity and self-worth. This study demonstrates how a work-related injury or illness can extend far beyond the physical impact for injured workers. Existing systems fail to adequately compensate or rehabilitate injured workers, leaving them to their own devices to deal with their losses, medical or otherwise.

scholarly journals 229Step-downs reduce workers’ compensation payments to encourage return to work. Are they effective?

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler Lane ◽  
Luke Sheehan ◽  
Shannon Gray ◽  
Alex Collie
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Return To Work ◽  
Injured Workers ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Administrative Claims ◽  
Workers Compensation ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Compensation Systems ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
A Minor

Abstract Background Workers’ compensation systems throughout Australia implement “step-downs,” which cut the amount paid to injured workers after they have received benefits for several months. Though initially introduced to control rising insurance premiums, step-downs are currently justified as an incentive return to work. Whether they have this effect has never been formally tested. Methods Using administrative claims data, we applied a regression discontinuity study design to test whether step-downs affected weekly scheme exit rates, a proxy for return to work, within eight state, territory, and Commonwealth workers’ compensation systems. We also examined effects by injury type (fractures, musculoskeletal, mental health, and other trauma). To derive generalised effects, we combined results using meta-analyses and conducted meta-regressions to determine whether timing or magnitude of step-downs significantly moderated effects. Results Step-downs reduced scheme exit by 0.86 percentage points (95% CI: -1.45, -0.27). Neither timing nor magnitude of step-downs was a significant effect moderator. There were significant effects in fractures (-0.84, 95% CI: -1.61, -0.07) and sensitivity analysis suggested possible effects within mental health and musculoskeletal conditions. Conclusions The negative effects suggest some workers’ compensation recipients anticipate step-downs and return to work early to avoid a reduction in income. However, the effects were small and suggest step-downs have marginal practical significance. We conclude that step-downs are generally ineffective as a return to work policy initiative. Key messages Reducing the amount of compensation paid to injured workers has a minor incentivising effect on their return to work rates.

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