Our thoughts go out to all our policyholders affected by recent severe weather events. If you have any questions regarding your policy, please contact your New York Life agent or call New York Life directly at 1-(800)-225-5695.
When a release to full duty has been obtained, the disability claim manager will contact you (the manager) to advise you that the employee will return to work on an identified date. This date may change if the circumstances of the disability change; for example, if the employee suffers a relapse or complications.
When the employee returns to work, you should:
Think creatively about the alternatives for transitional or modified duty. Ask yourself:
New York Life Group Benefit Solutions will advise you, as the employee's manager, about any conditional release to work and assist you in accommodating the return.
Note: To protect the employee's privacy, the employee's medical information will not be shared with you.
As the manager, your responsibilities upon the employee's initial return include:
Throughout the return-to-work process, NYL GBS will remain involved with the employee’s medical provider, the employee, and you, to help monitor the employee's progress toward an unrestricted return to full duty.
NYL GBS will work closely with the employee's medical provider, the employee, and you, the manager, to develop a return-to-work plan based on the employee's capabilities and the opportunities available for a smooth transition to a full or modified work plan.
Each employee's return-to-work plan should be consistent with his or her medical treatment plan. For example, it should accommodate the individual's rehabilitation or therapy schedule, if any.
In this situation, known as return-to-work with restrictions, try to maintain as much normalcy in the employee's tasks and work environment as possible, contingent on the employee's functional capabilities.
It is recommended that you use a hierarchical approach that starts with the least amount of change for the employee. For example:
A return-to-work plan with restrictions should comply with the following criteria. It should:
When an employee returns with permanent restrictions, this may become an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) issue, and reasonable job accommodations should be addressed with your Human Resources Department.
If your company offers employee assistance counseling, an EAP counselor can be a resource to the manager and staff in dealing with disability absences and sensitive issues, such as:
Confidentiality and privacy concerns.
Workplace modifications and accommodations for the returning employee.
Employee dissatisfaction with the modified work.
Inconsistency in job performance after the employee returns to work
The manager becoming inappropriately involved in employee's well-being.
Click here to learn more.
As a manager, you can work to "modify" one or more features of the employee's regular job; for example, reducing the number hours worked or changing the number or type of tasks performed. Modifying an employee's regular job should be considered before assigning the employee to transitional work.
Modified work may include changes to the physical or cognitive demands of the employee's regular job, offering accommodations to the employee returning to work from a disability, and keeping an employee in his or her regular job during recuperation from an illness or injury.
Work modifications are intended to be temporary; a return to full capacity at the end of the transition period is expected. The job demands will incrementally change over time as the employee improves in his or her "hardiness" during the course of recovery.
The characteristics that define a modified-work position are:
Types of modified work include:
If an employee who is on modified work calls out from work, you must ask the employee if the reason for the absence is related to the disability, without asking for specifics about the employee's medical condition.
If the incidental absence is not related to the disability, you as the manager will decide how that time is accounted for (i.e., a sick day, a vacation day, a personal day, etc.) in accordance with company policy. Such absences should have no effect on the modified work, which will continue upon the employee's return from the absence.
If the absence is related to the disability, you should call the claim manager to determine if the modified work will continue or if this will be treated as a new claim.
Some scheduled absences may be approved while the employee is on modified work. You should contact your Human Resources representative to discuss the specifics in each individual case.
An employee may be released to return to work but not report to work or may call out from work during modified work.
In this situation, you should follow these steps:
If an employee can return to work but not in the same occupation, the employee may be able to perform transitional work instead. Transitional work is a temporary assignment to different work than the employee's regular job. It offers accommodations to the employee returning to work from a disability and keeps an employee productive during his/her recuperation from an illness or injury.
Transitional work assignments are generally composed of tasks that are not otherwise part of anyone's regular job. These may be tasks that need to be performed but are unassigned or tasks assigned to a position that has been eliminated.
Once the job tasks are identified, transitional work assignments can be developed by combining various job tasks to make up part-time or full-time work. The essential functions and associated demands of the tasks can be matched to the physical and cognitive capabilities of the individual returning to work.
The job tasks themselves may cross departments, and the transitional work assignment is intended to be temporary. It will change over time, as the employee improves in his or her "hardiness" during the course of recovery.
The characteristics that define transitional work are:
Transitional work may include the following options:
If an employee who is on transitional work calls out from work, you must ask the employee if the reason for the absence is related to the disability, without asking for specifics about the employee's medical condition.
If the incidental absence is not related to the disability, you as the manager will decide how that time is accounted for (i.e., a sick day, a vacation day, a personal day, etc.) in accordance with company policy. Such absences should have no effect on the transitional work, which will continue upon the employee's return from the absence.
If the absence is related to the disability, you should call the claim manager to determine if the transitional work will continue or if this will be treated as a new claim.
Some scheduled absences may be approved while the employee is on transitional work. You should contact your Human Resources representative to discuss the specifics in each individual case.
An employee may be released to return to work but not report to work or may call out from work during a transitional work arrangement.
In this situation, you should follow these steps:
This material and page are not intended for use with residents of New Mexico.
New York Life Group Benefit Solutions products and services are provided by Life Insurance Company of North America and New York Life Group Insurance Company of NY, subsidiaries of New York Life Insurance Company.
Life Insurance Company of North America is not licensed in New York and does not conduct insurance business in New York.