Injuries and Illnesses Can Cause Workers to Lose Work

Each year, millions of American workers experience an injury or illness. Often these conditions result in workers being out of work.

When workers are out of work because of an illness or injury, it can have any number of negative impacts – for the workers, their families, and their employers. Workers experience adverse effects on their health, family finances, and quality of life. Employers shoulder the direct and indirect costs that come with the loss of valuable employees.

Effective Help Can Keep Injured Workers on the Job

However, many injured or ill workers could remain in their jobs or the workforce if they received timely, effective help. Early stay-at-work/return-to-work strategies and programs succeed by returning injured workers to productivity as soon as medically possible during their recovery process. Since 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has invested resources to research and develop effective approaches that can assist these workers and their families. One such effort is currently under way in Vermont. Vermont is one of five states to receive a million-dollar award to try out new, innovative approaches. The award, known as RETAIN, is administered by the Vermont Department of Labor, which has contract with Dartmouth-Hitchcock and the Invest EAP Centers for Wellbeing. Both employees and employers are eligible for free services provided through this grant.

Injured or ill workers: Get help here, now:

Click here: Eligibility Check

Employers: Get help here, now:

Do you have an injured or ill worker that you want to help? You can refer him/her to our program right away; simply provide them with the Eligibility Check link above as a first step. Because this is a federal research demonstration project, participants are randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group based on their Primary Care Provider. However, there are even useful resources provided to those in the control group -- plus all eligible participants receive $100. Assistance and advice is also available to HR managers and supervisors. Call your EAP Account Relationship Manager or 1-888-392-0050 and indicate that you are a manager wanting more information about the RETAIN program. We'll first learn more about your need and then put you in touch with those who can help. Also, check out the Policies to Support Return to Work after Illness or Injury PDF in the right side bar; it contains many useful tips on helping injured or ill workers return to work.