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Initial return to work and long-term employment patterns: Associations with work-related permanent impairment and with participation in workers’ compensation-based return-to-work programs
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5 2021
Source: Am J Ind Med. 64(5):323-337 -
Alternative Title:Am J Ind Med
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Personal Author:
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Description:Background:
Roughly 10% of injured workers experience work injuries that result in permanent impairment and a permanent partial disability (PPD) award. This study aimed to characterize and quantify long-term employment outcomes for injured workers, by degree of whole body impairment (WBI) and by participation in several workers’ compensation (WC)-based return-to-work (RTW) programs.
Methods:
A retrospective cohort of 43,968 Washington State workers was followed for up to 10 years after WC claim closure (2009-2017). Degree of impairment was classified as: (1) no PPD award, (2) PPD award with WBI <10%, or (3) PPD award with WBI ≥10%. State wage files were used to construct employment outcomes for regression modeling: (1) time to first RTW, (2) time to first RTW interruption, (3) RTW volatility, and (4) employment gaps.
Results:
Wage patterns and employment outcomes differed significantly by degree of impairment. Compared to other workers, workers with WBI ≥10% had delayed RTW, shorter average times to first RTW interruption, and higher rates of both RTW interruptions and quarters without wages. Time to first RTW averaged over a year, increasing with degree of impairment. About 9% overall—and 27% of workers with ≥10% WBI—had no observed wages after claim closure. In adjusted models, workers with WBI ≥10% had significantly poorer employment outcomes, compared to workers with no PPD award (P<.001).
Conclusions:
State wage files provide an efficient approach to identifying RTW patterns. Workers with permanent impairment were at substantially higher risk of poor employment outcomes. WC-based RTW programs may promote better employment outcomes.
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Pubmed ID:33616241
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Pubmed Central ID:PMC8046727
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