HOME       ABOUT CEC       OUR TEAM       BIOGRAPHIES       SERVICES       FORENSIC    SERVICES       MANAGING    WORKPLACE    DISABILITY      DM    COMPONENTS     TRANSITION    TO WORK    PROGRAMMING     MANAGERIAL    MEDIATION       CREATING JOB    DESCRIPTIONS     WHY DISABILITY    MANAGEMENT     CEU CREDITS       LIST OF SERIES       SERIES I       SERIES I    QUESTIONS       SERIES II       SERIES II    QUESTIONS       SERIES III       SERIES III    QUESTIONS       SERIES IV       SERIES IV    QUESTIONS       SERIES V       SERIES V    QUESTIONS       SERIES VI       SERIES VI    QUESTIONS       SERIES VII       SERIES VII    QUESTIONS       SERIES VIII       SERIES VIII    QUESTIONS       SERIES IX       SERIES IX    QUESTIONS       CAREER ASSESSMENT       CONTACT    ESTHER WEISS       NEWS CENTER       NEWSLETTERS       EVENTS       PUBLICATIONS       SEARCH SITE       LINKS       WRITERS    WANTED       BLOG       WORKIPEDIA       CONTACT       DIRECTIONS       REQUEST INFO       FEEDBACK       CUSTOMER    QUESTIONNAIRE       JOBS AT CEC       JOIN MAILING    LIST       PRIVACY    Companies that practice proactive disability management generally have a significant advantage over those companies that do not... Why Every Employer Needs a Disability Management Program Essentially all of the best-managed companies in the country have Disability Management Programs. The reason is that a Disability Management Program (DMP) is the only way employers have to control their dramatically rising Workers' Compensation Costs. Employers who have not recently looked at their workers' compensation and other disability costs may have a shock coming. Studies by a number of entities --employers and insurance carriers-- show costs associated with workplace disability to be an average of 8% of payroll. This is a significant amount of money regardless of the size of the payroll. In addition to controlling WC costs, DMPs are used to: control outlays for medical treatment of non-occupational accidents and illnesses control associated lost-wage payments for accidents/illnesses upgrade the hiring process for the purpose of identifying better employees demonstrate to employees that they are valued by management In short, Disability Management Programs are a critical bottom-line issue, and they require the attention of any employer interested in the best possible management of his/her organization. The Disability Management Needs Assessment: A Practical Tool for Employers (No Cost) All employers deal with the "disabilities" of their employees to one extent or another. Ostensibly, some companies have developed more comprehensive, and more effective, programs to deal with these matters. The common wisdom in business administration is that all "well managed" companies have Disability Management programs which operate as an essential aspect of interest in cost containment and valuing employees. The purpose here is to offer employers a generic tool to assess their disability management programs. Ultimately, the definitive needs assessment must be customized to meet individual company interests and operational policies. Therefore, companies may modify this generic needs assessment to accommodate their unique situations. The Assessment is offered to employers at no cost and may be printed at will. Companies that do not feel that they presently have the resources available to carry out a needs assessment given these guidelines, or who want more details, may contact CEC Associates, Inc. for assistance. cec@cecassoc.com Questions to be Addressed in a Disability Management Program Needs Assessment What level of support from senior management is needed for a Disability Management Program (DMP)? Is the commitment documented? Does the commitment include a general management policy of returning employees to work after an illness or injury (as opposed to outsourcing)? Is budget support available for at least some level of development? Has responsibility to perform the assessment been assigned? Do the individuals assigned the responsibility to operate a DMP have the training and skills to do so? Is there a procedure in place to collect data on absenteeism (cause, duration, type of impairment, lost time, etc.) and ascribable disability-related costs? Are these records accumulated in a data base for meaningful analysis? Does the company have a comprehensive set of Job Descriptions geared more to the "essential functions" and based on Job Analysis methods as required by the ADA? Are staff members trained in executing job analysis, including physical measurements for all tasks, assigned to a specific job? What are the minimum educational-level requirements for each job and how are they determined? What environmental factors impact each job? Is there a Safety and Wellness program in place? Has consideration been given to formalizing and documenting risk management strategies? Does the company have a return-to-work program? If yes, is the RTW program developed as "transitional?" (A transitional return-to-work program is one that is carefully developed to re-introduce the employee to productivity through incremental steps.) Are there provisions for the company to have Work Performance Evaluations and/or Functional Capacities completed for individual employees by qualified professionals? Has the company trained Human Resources (HR) and/or other selected staff in Managerial Mediation? Are specific procedures in guiding immediate supervisors to act appropriately in the event of an accident documented? Are procedures formed in establishing and maintaining contact with the injured/ill employee, as well as the employee’s family, during the treatment and recovery stages? Are procedures created in assigning a case manager to initiate early contact with the injured employee and to maintain the case management function through RTW? Has the staff responsible for these activities been trained in the context of the company’s intended outcomes for the DMP? Is there a documented Case Management process? Have the designated Case Managers been trained to achieve economies, as well as company desired outcomes, as stated in the management commitments to Disability Management? Are procedures to engage third-party providers for services not within the scope of the internal HR department developed? Are criteria by which third party providers can be selected and, more importantly, evaluated in terms of performance once selected established? Does the company have an individual who has reviewed federal and state compliance requirements, especially those of the ADA, the FMLA, and state Workers’ Compensation legislation? Does the company provide at least some of the services of an Employee Assistance Program? (Have both internal and external resources been identified to assist any employee who develops a need for assistance?) 800-246-9767 // 610-935-7560 // 610-935-5556 FAX 1220 Valley Forge Road, Unit 9 P.O. Box 987 Valley Forge, PA 19482 General Information: cec@cecassoc.com    Website: Dina@cecassoc.com         © Copyright 2005-2008, Corporate Education and Consultation Associates, Incorporated   SITE MAP |  PRIVACY |  SEARCH |  CONTACT |  TOP