Managing Work Disability: Why First Return to Work is Not a Measure of Success

Studies of the effectiveness of medical and vocational rehabilitation and the disincentive effects of workers' compensation benefits frequently assume that a return to work signals the end of the limiting effects of injuries. This study is the first to test that assumption empirically. The authors use a rich data set on Ontario workers with permanent partial impairments resulting from injuries that occurred between 1974 and 1987 to show that the effects of injuries on employment are more enduring than previous studies indicate. The rate of successful returns to employment, measured by first return to work, is 85%, but the rate of success evaluated over a longer time period is only 50%.