Labor & Employment Law

Work Reintegration Program on the way

By Michael Fitzgibbon

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) is making changes to its Labour Market Re-entry (LMR) and Return to Work (RTW) programs to "get better results for injured workers and employers".   According to the Backgrounder:

Later this year, the WSIB will begin delivering LMR case management services internally and will phase out its use of external LMR Primary Service Providers by August 2011.

The WSIB is establishing a new integrated LMR and Return to Work program called the Work Reintegration Program whose key principles are:

• Maintain the relationship between the worker and original employer.
• Provide employers with the opportunity to be involved in the development of work reintegration plans.
• Reintegrating workers into decent, safe and sustainable work.
• Effective and meaningful input and choice on the part of the worker to ensure their commitment and active participation.
• High standards for services provided by WSIB staff and contracted service providers.
• Effective cost management of the program, recognizing that an investment in worker re-training is important to workers, employers and the WSIB.
• Ensuring workers are fairly compensated for wage loss, recognizing the difference between pre-injury earnings and post-injury earning ability.

Beginning in November 2010, referrals for work reintegration will begin to be handled internally by WSIB staff with a phasing out of external LMR case managers.

Full post as published by Thoughts from a Management Lawyer on November 02, 2010 (boomark / email).