Return-to-Work / Light Duty Program
Structured return-to-work framework for workers returning from injury or illness. Workers comp cost control + ADA compliance + medical coordination. Modified duty assignment, accommodation, gradual return.
When this template is required
No federal standard requires an employer to operate a return-to-work program — not OSHA, not the ADA, not the FMLA. What is mandatory is how one is run once it exists: reasonable accommodation, medical inquiry limits and medical-record confidentiality under the ADA (29 CFR Part 1630); restoration and fitness-for-duty rules under the FMLA (29 CFR Part 825); recording of restricted work and job transfer under 29 CFR 1904.7; and the claim duties set by each state's workers compensation statute. Those state rules — claim deadline, who directs care, effect of declining suitable work, IME rules — are not supplied with this document; the buyer records them at Appendix J from their carrier, administrator or counsel.
Why this template
Workers comp cost control
Modified duty returns workers to productive activity instead of waiting on a full medical release, which shortens time on total disability. How much that saves depends on the state scheme, the claim and the carrier — the program does not quantify it.
ADA compliance
ADA requires reasonable accommodation for qualified workers with disabilities — including post-injury workers. Pack addresses accommodation procedure compliantly.
Modified duty job catalog
Library of modified duty positions makes RTW operational. Workers, supervisors, and medical providers can identify suitable work quickly.
Medical coordination
Physician (treating), employer (work capacity), employee (compliance, recovery) need coordination. Procedure documents the communication.
What you receive
- Return-to-Work Program (Word .docx)
- Modified duty job catalog (industry-tailored)
- Medical coordination procedure (physician, employer, employee)
- ADA-compliant accommodation procedure
- Gradual return scheduling
- Workers comp integration
- Documentation requirements (medical, work restrictions, communications)
- Annual program review
How you get it
This document is written and reviewed against the standard it cites, and it is ready now. The download link is emailed as soon as your payment clears.
Revisions included — if something about your operation changes what the document should say, reply to the delivery email and we will amend it.
Who buys this
- Manufacturing (high workers comp exposure)
- Construction (frequent musculoskeletal injuries)
- Healthcare (BBP exposures, lifting injuries)
- Warehousing (PIT and lifting injuries)
- Any employer with significant workers comp claim history
Frequently asked
Why is return-to-work important?
Two reasons. (1) Cost — an employee on total disability draws indemnity while producing nothing, and modified duty shortens time on total disability by converting days-away cases into job-transfer-or-restriction cases. The size of any cost effect depends on the state scheme, the claim and the carrier, and this program does not quantify it. (2) Compliance — the ADA duty to accommodate an injured worker applies whether or not you run a program; a written procedure is how you show the interactive process actually happened.
What's modified duty?
Work assignment that accommodates work restrictions from physician (no lifting >25 lbs, sit-down work only, no overhead reaching, etc.). Modified duty isn't 'make work' — it's productive work the employee can do within restrictions. Modified duty catalog identifies positions.
Is this ADA-compliant?
ADA requires reasonable accommodation for qualified workers with disabilities. RTW program structured to provide accommodation while respecting ADA's interactive process requirement. Pack addresses ADA compliance specifically.
What about repeat injuries?
Workers with multiple injuries need careful evaluation — may indicate need for permanent restrictions or accommodation, may indicate position not suited to worker. RTW program addresses progressive evaluation of repeat cases.