Some jurisdictions require employers of a certain size to employ an officer in an organisation on a full-time or ad hoc basis to coordinate the return to work of injured workers. Jurisdictions that are not required by their Act to recruit a workplace rehabilitation coordinator are Western Australia, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand.
Workplace rehabilitation coordinators have similar functions in the jurisdictions that require their employment. These functions include:
- developing a return to work plan in consultation with the injured worker and the employer
- assisting with the planning and implementation of a return to work program
- identifying suitable duties for the injured worker to enable return to work as soon as possible
- managing the return to work process by liaising with treating doctors, rehabilitation providers and the employer, and
- monitoring the injured workers’ progress towards successful return to work.
Jurisdictions that require the employment of a workplace rehabilitation coordinator can have specific training requirements. Most commonly, a short course is undertaken in order to gain a qualification as a workplace rehabilitation coordinator. Normally self-insurers case-manage their own employees; however some jurisdictions allow them to outsource this function. Table 6.7 shows the outsourcing of case management arrangements in Australia.