Study Shows: Only Half of Eligible California Workers in RTW Program

We Need to Do More for Injured Workers

According to a recent Rand Corporation report, more than 28,000 permanently disabled workers in California received a $5,000 check from the Return-to-Work Supplement Program created by Senate Bill 863. However, according to the report, this represents only slightly more than half of those who are eligible. In looking at all injured workers who received the voucher (without consideration for whether it was redeemed), Rand found roughly half of those in its sample would have been eligible for a payment from the $120 million fund.

“Given that these workers can obtain a $5,000 payment by completing a short online application that is designed to take around 20 minutes, we suspect that many workers do not understand what they stand to gain from completing the Return-to-Work Supplement application,” Rand stated in the report. “The failure to take up the RTWSP was not associated with any indicators of socioeconomic vulnerability or specific barriers to access that we examined, with one exception: Workers were overwhelmingly more likely to apply for and receive the Return-to-Work Supplement if they had legal representation.”

As you can see, these findings are dismal and confirm what I see every day with our OCC and AIW clients. The system needs to be fixed.

The study missed the key reason why injured workers don't apply: the voucher form is not issued or mailed to alert them of these valuable benefits. The voucher is not sent for many reasons and one of them is the Physician Return-to-Work form is missing. There is no need to spend money on any more one-sided studies and automation of benefits, the results will be the same because the fundamental problems are not being addressed.

Together we must create awareness and work to fix this major flaw in the system that is preventing injured workers from training and returning to work.  I am passionate about helping those most in need. Vocational re-training benefits work! It is the silver lining in this process; I believe we can make it easier to deliver the benefit to injured workers just as the legislators intended it to be.

Key changes I recommend:

1. At this point, the "Physician Return-to-Work & Voucher Report" appears to impede injured workers from receiving their voucher benefit. Perhaps it is time to do away with it.
2. If this report is useful and necessary, we need to advise/remind doctors to complete the required Physician Return-to-Work & Voucher Report form.
3. Creating an awareness campaign within the state will get job loss benefit information out to the injured workers quickly and directly.
5. Connecting with the person in charge of the Rand Corporation study and provide our insights on the day-to-day dealings with the voucher.

What can you do now?

1. Make sure your clients have received and applied for their vouchers. Ask them if they have received their $5,000 check.
2. Run a report of your clients which includes the deadlines for when the vouchers expire. Create an automatic contact for those in the “danger zone,” who may miss out on their benefits.
3. Review final reports and make sure the signed Physician Return to Work & Voucher report is included. If it is missing, insist that the doctor issue the report.

Thank you for your efforts to make this benefit known and put into process. I am hopeful that together we can make a positive difference to benefit the lives of injured workers and their families who depend on them to be productive contributors to their homes, family and our labor workforce.