RS 1547 - Return to work program
A. There is hereby created within the office of risk management the return to work program. The goal of the program shall be the safe and expedient return of state employees with job-related injuries and illnesses to transitional or regular employment. The office of risk management shall, by rule, design a program that returns workers to gainful employment as soon as is medically possible after a job-related injury or illness. The program shall at a minimum include the following components:
(1) A transitional employment program.
(2) A workers' compensation claims reporting process.
(3) A process of semiannual reports to the legislature and the governor.
B. The transitional employment program shall be designed by the office of risk management in conjunction with the Louisiana Department of Civil Service. The program shall have as its objective the development of transitional job descriptions which allow an employee with a job-related injury or illness to return to work as soon as medically possible. The office of risk management, as a part of this program, shall coordinate with all state agencies, boards, and commissions the development of an activity analysis form to be used to summarize the tasks and associated demands of each position found in state government. The form is to be used to communicate the information to physicians to enable them to make return-to-work decisions concerning state workers under their care.
C. The workers' compensation claims reporting process shall be designed by the office of risk management to facilitate the timely reporting of work-related injuries to the office of risk management by state agencies, boards, and commissions.
D. The semiannual reporting process shall be designed by the office of risk management to outline the activities of the program. The report shall include but not be limited to the number of occupational-related cases reported, the number of occupational-related cases outstanding, the number of employees drawing workers' compensation benefits, the dollar amount of indemnity payments and medical payments made to employees, the number of employees returned to work during the reporting period, and the estimated dollar savings that resulted from the return to work program.
Acts 1999, No. 916, §1.