The office of risk management must create and design a return-to-work program for state employees with job-related injuries or illnesses.
§1547. Return to work program A. There is hereby created within the office of risk management the return to work program. The goal of the program shall be the safe and expedient return of state employees with job-related injuries and illnesses to transitional or regular employment. The office of risk management shall, by rule, design a program that returns workers to gainful employment as soon as is medically possible after a job-related injury or illness. The program shall at a minimum include the following components: (1) A transitional return to work program. (2) A workers' compensation claims reporting process. (3) A process of semiannual reports to the legislature and the governor. B. The transitional return to work program shall be designed by the office of risk management in conjunction with the office of the state Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator, within the office of the governor, division of administration. Program procedures and forms shall be developed and agreed to by both offices. C. The workers' compensation claims reporting process shall be designed by the office of risk management to facilitate the timely reporting of work-related injuries to the office of risk management by state agencies, boards, and commissions. D. The semiannual reporting process shall be designed by the office of risk management to outline the activities of the program. The report shall include but not be limited to the number of occupational-related cases reported, the number of occupational-related cases outstanding, the number of employees drawing workers' compensation benefits, the dollar amount of indemnity payments and medical payments made to employees, the number of employees returned to work during the reporting period, and the estimated dollar savings that resulted from the return to work program. Acts 1999, No. 916, §1; Acts 2025, No. 146, §1, eff. June 8, 2025.