Disability Management and Return-to-Work (RTW) Coordination

Course description

Disability management refers to proactive employer practices with the goals of preventing or reducing workplace disability, intervening early in the face of injury, and providing coordinated management and rehabilitation functions to promote workers’ recovery and safe and timely return to work (RTW). This course will provide an in-depth investigation of the role of disability management (DM) programs as a means to promoting a strong safety and wellness culture within an organization and address all facets of work disability prevention. The focus will be on performing executive functions, including: administration of DM services, development of policies and procedures, promotion of RTW concepts through education and training, consulting to joint labour-management committees, evaluation of services and community resources, selecting DM partners, etc. Students will learn how to develop a business case for a DM program and apply learning from Program Design, Implementation and Evaluation to the DM program context. This course will focus on developing an understanding of how to expedite, coordinate and facilitate the return to work of persons with injuries, illnesses and disabilities in a range of settings. Using cases, students will learn how to work with stakeholders to develop RTW plans for workers with a variety of illnesses or injuries in various organizational contexts, including both union and non-union settings. Students will apply concepts and strategies from Conflict Resolution and Problem Solving to learn to build collaborative relationships with all parties to facilitate early and timely return to work for employees following a leave of absence. Specific topics include: legislation and benefits programs related to leaves and RTW; workplace attendance support; claims management; disability case management; risk assessment and workplace accommodation; graduated RTW; documentation and confidentiality; and management of psychological disabilities.

Course details