Employer-at-Injury Program

What is EAIP?

The Employer-at-Injury Program (EAIP) was created to encourage employers to help their injured workers return to temporary transitional work within their restrictions prior to closure of the claim. The program offers financial incentives to employers with the opportunity to modify and create productive work for injured workers.

The program is funded by the state of Oregon's Workers' Benefit Fund. EAIP is voluntarily activated by the employer, and it does not affect premium or claim costs. The insurer responsible for the claim (SAIF) administers the program and requests reimbursement from the Department of Consumer and Business Services.

A SAIF EAIP specialist, in partnership with our return-to-work consultants, will help you get medical releases, assist with identifying work, assist with accessing benefits, and help with other parts of the process. So please contact us if you're interested in this program by calling 800.285.8525, ext. 8652.

Types of assistance

For your convenience, the same form can be used for any type of injured worker assistance listed below except wage subsidy, The purchase request form includes details to help you.

View the Work-site Modification and Purchase Justification form (F-3311) in PDF or Word format.

Contact your SAIF EAIP specialist prior to making a worksite modification or EAIP purchase to ensure correct processing and to facilitate necessary documentation.

Wage subsidy

Employers may be reimbursed 50 percent of a worker's gross wages while on temporary transitional duty for a maximum reimbursement of 66 work days within a 24-consecutive-month period.

The injured worker must stay within the work limitations outlined by the medical provider. Any day during which the worker exceeds his or her limitations will not be reimbursed.

View the Wage Subsidy Request form (F-3312) in PDF or Word format.

 

Worksite modification

($2,500 maximum) A worksite modification alters a work site by renting, purchasing, modifying, or supplementing equipment to enable a worker to perform the transitional work within the worker's limitations. The insurer determines the appropriate worksite modification(s) for the worker. View a list of worksite modification ideas.

EAIP purchases

Purchases can be for the creation of a worksite and/or position that is within the employer's course and scope of trade or profession, or for skills-building requirements. View a list of return-to-work purchase ideas.

Tools and equipment: Items required for the worker to perform transitional work. Maximum reimbursement: $2,500

Tuition, books, fees, and materials: A class or course of instruction required for the transitional work or skills-building. Maximum reimbursement: $1,000

Clothing: ($400 maximum) Clothing required for the job and not normally provided by the employer. Clothing becomes the worker's property. Maximum reimbursement: $400

 

Eligibility

The employer requirements:

• Must maintain Oregon workers' compensation insurance coverage.
• Must be the employer-at-injury. Employer-at-injury means the organization that employed the worker when the worker sustained the injury or occupational disease, or made the claim for aggravation, or requested an Own Motion opening.
• Must be re-employing an eligible worker while the worker's claim is open
• An Employer-at-Injury reimbursement request must be a minimum of $100 to qualify for reimbursement.

The worker requirements:

• Must have an accepted or deferred Oregon workers' comp
  injury or occupational disease claim

When EAIP begins

EAIP begins when there is an EAIP valid medical release and all of the above eligibility requirements have been met. There are two types of medical releases that qualify under these rules:

• A medical release that states the worker's specific restrictions; or
• A statement by the medical service provider that indicates the worker is not released to regular employment accompanied by an approval of a job description, which includes the job duties and physical demands required for the transitional work.

When EAIP ends

All requests must be completed on SAIF's reimbursement request forms and received by SAIF within one year from the date the program ends.

These are some of the most common reasons EAIP ends. If there are multiple reasons, EAIP ends when the first one occurs:

• The claim is closed or denied.
• The injured worker quits or is terminated.
• A lapse in workers' comp coverage exists.
• The insurer may end the Employer-at-Injury Program at any time while the worker's claim is open.