Back in the game: injured worker Ray Merritt

One frosty winter morning, groundskeeper and maintenance worker Ray Merritt was unloading groceries at Baker High School. As he stood up and turned to life a box of vegetables, he heard a loud pop in his back.

“I could tell something wasn’t quite right,” says Ray. “But in the morning, I couldn’t get up.”

Ray was diagnosed with a back sprain. But rest didn’t fix it, and eventually an MRI exam confirmed he had a ruptured disc. It would take an operation to correct the damage.

“I was ready to go back to work,” says Ray.”I hadn’t had anything this major happen to me before. Bruce Fletcher from SAIF called me and explained how the process all worked, and took care of the claim.”

Six months later, doctors finally released Ray to return to his job at the high school up to four hours per day. A month later, they released him to full-time.

But the injury and resulting operation had left Ray with a permanent 23 percent disability. Unable to do any heavy lifting or repetitive motion tasks such as loading groceries, lifting sandbags and laying tile, he would need assistance to perform his job.

SAIF adjuster Donna Sawyer and vocational coordinator Lynn Baxter helped Ray apply for Oregon’s Preferred Worker Program, which provides approved workers up to $25,000 for retraining, tools and equipment to help them perform their jobs. Ray was approved and, as a result, the school district was able to purchase a Tommy-Lift for Ray’s pickup to help lift materials, as well as a self-propelled paint striper for painting the sports fields, and other equipment for Ray.

“I’m extremely grateful to the district for its patience to bring me back to my job, and to SAIF for helping me through it and getting me these tools. If it weren’t for them working together on my behalf, I don’t know where I’d be today.”

SAIF and the Oregon Preferred Worker Program are glad to have been able to help Ray Merritt and the Baker School District get him back on the job. Go team!