Date
of Last Review 4/14/2011
SME: Director of Personnel Systems Management
The University of Texas at Houston Harris County Psychiatric Center (UTHCPC) strives to accommodate employees who have been temporarily restricted from performing their regularly assigned duties.
This procedure only covers employees who have sustained an accidental injury or occupational illness while performing duties within the course and scope of their employment or appointment.
Employees who sustain an injury or illness while performing assigned job duties should immediately report the injury or illness to their immediate supervisor in compliance with policy Workers' Compensation Insurance 2.17D.
The policies below are to be followed after an injury/illness incurred resolves sufficiently for the employee to return to work on a modified basis:
 | Assist employees to the extent possible by temporarily modifying work assignment or duties |
| Arrange for a temporary modified duty assignment, not to exceed six calendar months |
| Medical re-evaluation by the employee's health care provider must be performed at a minimum of every 2 weeks at the expense of the Worker's Compensation Insurance Carrier, as provided by that program |
| Employee must participate fully in her/his recovery by keeping all physician and physical therapy appointments |
| Failure of the employee to keep physician and physical therapy appointments impede the continuation of temporary modified duty assignments |
| The employee must notify her/his supervisor and the Employee Health Case Manager of all doctor appointments |
| Physical Therapy appointments should be scheduled after working hours if at all possible |
| At each visit with the employee's health care provider, restrictions must be reviewed for modification, renewal or elimination and an updated TWCC 73 must be sent to the Workers Compensation Insurance Carrier and UTHCPC's Employee Health Case Manager |
The employee visits a health care provider for care relating to the injury/illness as follows:
Step |
Action | ||||||
1 |
The attending health care provider determines any temporary work restrictions to be applied to the employee's work duties. | ||||||
2 |
The attending health care provider documents any findings in writing on form TWCC 73 and sends the form to: Employee Health Case Manager | ||||||
3 |
Upon receipt of the documentation from the healthcare provider the UTHCPC Employee Health Case Manager:
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The UTHCPC Employee Health Case Manager coordinates the temporary modified duty assignment as follows:
Step |
Action | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 |
Contacts the employee's supervisor to schedule a meeting to discuss:
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2 |
Use this table to determine the results of the supervisor's response
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3 |
Use this table to determine funding for the temporary modified duty assignment
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4 |
The Employee Health Case Manager sends a copy of the bona fide offer letter to the Workers Compensation Insurance Carrier to be reviewed prior to the job offer. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 |
The bona fide offer letter is given to the employee during the meeting with her/his supervisor and the Employee Health Case Manager. See section on "Bona Fide Offer Letter" below. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The following is the process for making the employee a bona fide offer of temporary modified employment:
Step |
Action | ||||||
1 |
The employee, Employee Health Case Manager, and the employee's supervisor meet to:
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2 |
The employee's supervisor:
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3 |
If an employee accepts the offer, then loses time without a doctor's note, the employee's lost time is considered unauthorized. | ||||||
4 |
If the employee does not present in person, the letter is sent by certified mail to the employee with the stipulation that they must reply within 5 days from the date of the letter. | ||||||
5 |
If no reply is received from the employee in 5 days, the department considers this a refusal of the temporary modified duty assignment offer. | ||||||
6 |
If the employee refuses the offer:
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The employee must send a work release from her/his physician to the Employee Health Case Manager 1 day prior to returning to work. Other policies are as follows:
Step |
Action |
1 |
The employee will return to a position comparable in pay and benefits |
2 |
If the employee refuses to return to regular duties in response to a written, bona fide offer of employment sent via certified mail, the employee is terminated from UTHCPC employment. |
The table below shows what happens when an employee is unable to return to full work duties after being on a modified duty assignment:
Step |
Action | ||||
1 |
Extended or permanent disability may be necessary if:
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2 |
UTHCPC makes reasonable accommodations to:
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3 |
Decisions regarding extended or permanent disability are made on a case-by-case basis in accordance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations. |
Related Standards
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