How to Write a Letter to Get An Employee Back to Work from Workers Compensation Injury

How to Get Your Employee to Turn In the Work Ability Form (WAF). You may call it an Injury Form or Medical Treatment Form, or some other name.
The work ability form  is the best method to get your injured employee back to work. Studies show  the sooner an employee returns, the smoother your workers’ compensation procedures run. This is true for both the employee and the employer.

Transitional duties  take into account an injured employee’s limited or changed abilities is a way to get them back on the job and performing some of their former functions.

It is better  to have the worker at your worksite even at lowered production or capabilities than at home recuperating to 100 percent, a feat which may never happen.

Workers’ Comp Kit  suggests a formal letter explaining your transitional duty policy to the employee and introducing the work ability form (WAF) to be filled out by the physician.

Here are some tips for your letter:

1. Send it  priority mail via the United State Postal Service with delivery confirmation.
2. Explain  what transitional duty is and it is a company policy.
3. Let the employee  know the transitional job will be reviewed each week as during recuperation.
4. Enclose  the work ability form and explain the employee is required to have the medical provider fill it out.
5. Encourage  your employee to let the provider know ALL restrictions can be accommodated by your facility.
6. Let the employee  know the form is due back within seven calendar days and the transitional duty job begins on the day the form is returned.
7. Let the employee  know the form is due back within seven calendar days and the transitional duty job begins on the day the form is returned.
8. Assure them  the company health director will work with them to develop tasks appropriate to their current medical condition and state. (workersxzcompxzkit)
9. Be sure to  include claim number and all relevant addresses and contact information on the letter.

It can be  easy to treat injuries with suspicion, but this is generally not a good policy. Professionalism is key. In general, most recuperating employees feel better if they can maintain a sense of their normal schedule and feel as though they are still contributing at work.

Author:  Robert Elliott, J.D.

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