The Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work (SAW/RTW) Policy Collaborative has released recommendations for policies that could help workers keep their jobs after they develop a career-threatening medical condition. The system of supports we have today is fragmented and ill-equipped to serve the millions of workers who lose their jobs every year because of illness or injury—whether job-related or not. With the help of timely and effective supports, many more workers could stay productive, maintain their standard of living, and avoid depending on Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicare, and other government programs.
With funding provided by the Office of Disability Employment Policy in the U.S. Department of Labor, three work groups made up of experts in the disability and employment fields have developed actionable recommendations for policymakers who want to help more workers keep their jobs after an illness or injury. To ensure these policies could be applied in the real world, each group held meetings with key stakeholders and conducted online dialogues to collect public feedback. Policymakers can use these recommendations as a guide for developing policies and programs that promote positive SAW/RTW outcomes and could save billions of dollars by keeping workers in the taxpaying population and off the rolls of federal and state programs.
Today, Mathematica’s Center for Studying Disability Policy is holding a forum at which the leaders of the three work groups and Jennifer Sheehy, acting assistant secretary in the Office of Disability Employment Policy, will discuss the recommendations. Click here for more information on this event.
SAW/RTW Policy Work Group
Recommendations
Establishing Accountability to Reduce Job Loss After Injury or Illness
Targeting Early Intervention to Workers Who Need Help to Stay in the Labor Force
Promoting Retention or Reemployment of Workers After a Significant Injury or Illness
