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Investing in return-to-work pays off—for your employees and you

Oregon state agencies and universities received more than $1 million in wage reimbursements last year through the Employer-at-Injury Program. Benefits also may include improved recovery, reduced disability, and lower claims costs.

By Rob Wallace, EAIP supervisor

Investing in return-to-work pays off

The State of Oregon has unique programs with financial incentives that help state agencies and public universities bring employees back to work. One of these is the Employer-at-Injury Program, or EAIP.

EAIP benefits employers who offer light-duty or modified work to their injured workers. When an injured worker returns to light-duty work, they maintain a connection with their employer, their rate of recovery may improve, and disability resulting from the incident may be reduced.

For employers, EAIP can help contain claim costs and can lead to reductions in premiums. Returning employees to work also mitigates indirect costs, which can be anywhere from five to 52 times the cost of insurance. These non-insurance costs include rehiring, overtime, and re-training expenses.

If you are bringing injured workers back to work and not actively using EAIP, please contact SAIF to see if you are eligible to receive wage subsidy assistance. If you aren't bringing injured workers back to work, one of our dedicated return-to-work consultants can help.

In Oregon, all insurers are required to be active participants in providing re-employment assistance. By having dedicated return-to-work staff, SAIF fulfills our mission of meeting the needs of both workers and employers in the recovery process. We also help employees and employers benefit from their 2.8 cents-per-hour payroll assessment into the Workers' Benefit Fund through the Workers' Compensation Division.

By actively participating in EAIP, you can manage workers' comp costs and contribute to your bottom line.Since 2008, more than 25 percent of workers with an accepted disabling claim have participated in EAIP, which includes reimbursement of 45 percent of the worker's gross wage for a period of time. In 2017 alone, SAIF policyholders received almost $11 million in reimbursements, of which almost $1.1 million was returned to the State of Oregon and public universities.

By actively participating in EAIP, you can manage workers' compensation costs and contribute to your bottom line. For more information, contact SAIF return-to-work consultants Patti Acierno or Shannon Moore, or EAIP supervisor Rob Wallace.