A return-to-work plan is developed—with assistance from Work Connections—by you, your supervisor and your treatment team. Among other things, it includes information about any physical restrictions such as lifting or sitting for protracted periods of time along with a target date on which you’ll be fully recovered and able to assume your regular duties.
Work Connections was developed by the University of Michigan to assist and support employees and departments when employees experience an illness or injury, during the subsequent recovery, and through successful return to work. We work with other available programs and services to ensure that employees and supervisors have convenient and centralized access to a wide variety of resources and support. Among other things, the Work Connections team coordinates the services of health care providers and other professionals to promote recovery as well as to ensure appropriate return-to-work support is in place.
Work Connections was developed by the University of Michigan to assist and support employees and departments when employees experience an illness or injury, during the subsequent recovery, and through successful return to work. We work with other available programs and services to ensure that employees and supervisors have convenient and centralized access to a wide variety of resources and support. Among other things, the Work Connections team coordinates the services of health care providers and other professionals to promote recovery as well as to ensure appropriate return-to-work support is in place.
Work Connections was developed by the University of Michigan to assist and support employees and departments when employees experience an illness or injury, during the subsequent recovery, and through successful return to work. We work with other available programs and services to ensure that employees and supervisors have convenient and centralized access to a wide variety of resources and support. Among other things, the Work Connections team coordinates the services of health care providers and other professionals to promote recovery as well as to ensure appropriate return-to-work support is in place.
Work Connections acts as a liaison with other programs and services at the University to ensure that you, and your employee, have convenient and centralized access to a wide variety of resources. These resources include everything from coordinating the services of nurses, vocational rehabilitation counselors, therapists, physicians, and other professionals interested in your employee’s recovery to providing you with return-to-work support such as job analysis and ergonomic consultations.
There is no cost to your employee or your department to use the services offered by Work Connections.
Work Connections staff will assist and support you and your employee in the following ways during the recovery period:
- Contact the employee and you on a regular basis and act as a central clearinghouse for information
- Communicate with treating physicians and define options for treatment, facilitate care and identify what we can do to assist your employee during recovery
- Provide ongoing status reports and projections with respect to your employee’s expected absence and duration of disability
- Respond to your questions or assist with identifying the appropriate resources or content experts to respond to your questions about benefits, employment status, salary, and other issues that may arise
- Explore options for assistance from other University resources
- Provide appropriate updates to you and the physician as needed
- Answer questions and provide health resources information to you, if needed
Work Connections is responsible for administration of Workers’ Compensation benefits and can answer any questions you or your employee may have about these benefits. Your Case Manager will also act as a liaison to help you understand other benefits or responsibilities you or your employee may have and coordinate communication with the appropriate offices.
Workers’ Compensation provides for benefits conforming to state law, which may include wage replacement, medical, and rehabilitation benefits to employees who are injured or become ill as a result of a job-related injury (including death), or disease related to work.
Health information belongs to your employee and Work Connections guards it appropriately. This means that medical information is kept secure, private, and out of public view. Medical information cannot be sent to the home department, but updates regarding the employee’s status, projected duration of absence and medical restrictions are provided regularly. Maintaining appropriate confidentiality is a fundamental principle of the program. Health information will be released only in the following circumstances:
- With written authorization from the employee
- When a strict need to know is established (e.g., for health/safety reasons or to make employment status decisions)
- To comply with the requirements of the Workers’ Disability Compensation Act
Work Connections services are designed to provide assistance to employees in managing their disability and safe return to work. By authorizing Work Connections to obtain your medical information, your employee enables us to meet certain University requirements in order to expedite payment of their sick time or other disability benefits. In addition, developing a relationship with their treatment team and obtaining complete medical information is critical to coordinating an effective plan to help them.
