Identifying the features of workers’ compensation systems that promote timely, safe, and sustainable return to work and those that create barriers to return to work can lead to win-win opportunities for both injured workers and employers. Join WCRI’s Senior Public Policy Analyst, Sharon Belton, for an in depth discussion of her study, Factors Influencing Return to Work for Injured Workers: Lessons from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as she addresses the following questions:

·         Which workers' compensation system features facilitate return to work for longer-term unemployed injured workers? Which serve as barriers to return to work for these workers?

·         How has the economic downturn magnified or diminished the impact these system features have on return to work for these workers?

·         What are the policy implications of these system features on return to work for longer-term unemployed injured workers affected by the recent economic downturn?   

The findings discussed during this webinar represent interviews with more than 75 experts in the Pennsylvania and Wisconsin workers’ compensation systems, including employers, insurers, labor representatives, attorneys, medical providers, vocational rehabilitation counselors, and state government officials.