Cutting through the confusion - Rehabilitation and return to work plans vs suitable duties programs

Rehabilitation and return to work plans and suitable duties programs are key tools in a successful return to work strategy. While these tools work hand in hand, they each have a specific purpose, and have distinct requirements for scheme participants.

Best practice

Understand the difference between a Rehabilitation and return to work plan (RRTW plan) and a suitable duties program, how they each support a worker’s recovery, and your responsibilities as an employer in relation to each tool. Evidence shows the use of RRTW plans improve return to work outcomes.

RRTW plan

Workers’ compensation laws require an insurer to develop a written RRTW plan for every injured worker within 10 business days of their claim being accepted, and to maintain the plan as a worker recovers.

A RRTW plan is a roadmap to manage a worker’s overall recovery and return to work journey. It sets out the end recovery and return to work goal and steps involved. It is a communication tool that helps guide and update you, your injured worker, and treating health providers to understand their role to achieve successful outcomes.

A RRTW plan must be developed by an insurer in consultation with you, your worker and treating health providers. It outlines how everyone will work together to get a worker back to work safely and quickly, and in a way that works for both you and your worker.

A RRTW plan takes a person-centred approach, which means it is unique to each worker and their situation. It sets out:

a worker’s recovery goals, the steps to reach them, and how long it might take
who will do what to support a worker’s recovery
a worker’s capabilities and restrictions while they recover, and what tasks a worker’s doctor or specialist says they can and can’t do
relevant information about a worker’s injury and their treatment plan.

Suitable duties program

Workers’ compensation laws require employers to take all reasonable steps to provide rehabilitation for an injured worker including suitable and meaningful work duties where possible.

A suitable duties program sits within a RRTW plan and outlines the tasks your worker can safely perform at a given point in their recovery (suitable duties), based on their current physical, psychological, and cognitive capacity. It is regularly reviewed to ensure duties and hours remain appropriate as your worker’s capacity improves.

A suitable duties program is developed by you as an employer (or your rehabilitation and return to work coordinator) in consultation with your worker. Its purpose is to help your worker recover while safely rebuilding their fitness, strength, and capacity to return to their usual duties and hours. Suitable duties are based on their current capacity for work, individual situation and needs. It must be approved by your worker’s treating doctor.

If your workplace doesn’t have a rehabilitation and return to work coordinator, your insurer can help you develop a suitable duties program.

Key differences between a RRTW plan and suitable duties plan and how they work together

RRTW plan	Suitable duties program
Developed and maintained by an *insurer*, in consultation with all stakeholders.	Developed and maintained by an *employer* in consultation with the worker and their treating doctor.
Sets out the worker’s recovery and return to work steps and how everyone will work together to support a worker’s recovery.	Sets out the tasks a worker will do at work while they recover and aligns with the goal of the RRTW plan.
Structured, long-term roadmap focused on recovery. Including roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders to achieve goal.	Structured, shorter-term plan (no more than 6-8 weeks) to help a worker to improve their capacity to return to pre-injury duties (where possible). Including roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders to support the worker in their short-term milestones.
Person-centred based on a worker’s individual goals.	Person-centred, aligned with medical restrictions.
Focuses holistically on a worker’s recovery, including addressing individual needs beyond the workplace.	Focused on a worker’s recovery at work (duties and work hours/days).
Regularly monitored and revised as a worker’s treatment needs and functional capacity improves or changes.	Regularly monitored and revised as a worker’s capacity for work improves or changes.
Insurer to share a copy with a worker and their employer and treating health providers. If the plan contains any personal information an insurer will obtain a worker’s consent (DOC, 0.06 MB) before sharing it.	Everyone involved must approve and sign the program (a worker and their rehabilitation and return to work coordinator, work supervisor, and treating doctor).

Why this is important

Early and safe return to good work has benefits to physical health and mental wellbeing as well as reducing claims costs and increasing business productivity. Evidence shows that when a worker is involved in their return to work planning and has a written RRTW plan they have better return to work outcomes.

Workers should begin rehabilitation as soon as possible and often this can happen in the workplace by providing suitable duties that match their current capacity for work.

Workers’ compensation laws require employers to provide their workers with suitable duties. If you’re unsure that suitable duties are available or your worker is not satisfactorily participating in their RRTW plan or suitable duties program, talk to your insurer as they may be able help you meet your obligations and navigate next steps.

What actions can I take now?

Understand in advance what suitable duties your business can offer so you’re ready if an injury occurs.
Contact your insurer early to let them know you support suitable duties or if you will need help.
Contact your workers early, offer support and let them know you can change their work tasks to suit their medical needs, and keep checking in to maintain connection, track progress and identify when changes are needed to their RRTW plan and/or suitable duties program.
Use the resources in ‘Your toolkit’ below to strengthen your understanding of RRTW plans and suitable duties programs. The more confident you are with these tools, the better equipped you are to support your workers and meet your obligations.
Follow up with your insurer if you haven’t received a RRTW plan for a worker within 10 business days of a claim being accepted.
Keep your insurer informed if issues arise with a RRTW plan or suitable duties program so they can provide support.

Your toolkit

Learn more about rehabilitation and return to work:
- take a course
- attend a Work Well conference (coming soon)
- reach out to Workers’ Compensation Information and Advisory Service – for employers.
Read more about planning a return to work, RRTW plans and the laws relating to RRTW.
Read about suitable duties programs and access a suitable duties program template (DOCX, 0.15 MB).
Ensure that suitable duties programs meet the Guidelines for standard for rehabilitation (second edition) (PDF, 0.4 MB)
Learn about your obligations as an employer when a worker is injured.
Read about how offering suitable duties is key to early return to work.
Read Case study: Evidence-based practice in action – Putting the worker at the centre of their rehabilitation and return to work plan.
If you need extra support from, or have issues with your insurer, raise your concerns with them first. If you’re still dissatisfied, you can contact Workers Compensation Regulatory Services.