General Circular No. 001290

To: Heads of State Agencies and Human Resource

Directors

Subject: Return-to-Work Policy For Classified Employees

Issue Date: July 9, 1997

This is to inform you that Senate Concurrent Resolution 50,

authored by Senator Hainkel during the 1997 Regular Legislative

Session, passed. It urges and requests the Department of Civil

Service to develop, jointly with the Division of Administration

and the Office of Risk Management, and implement a Return-To-Work policy for classified

employees on Workers' Compensation

or subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.). The

policy would entail returning injured or disabled workers back

to work on light or limited duty. The goal of the resolution is

to reduce workers' compensation expenses for the state, stating

that it has been shown that when an employee returns to work

with his or her pre-injury or pre-disability employer, the

medical costs in a case drop dramatically.

Please be advised that the Department of Civil Service, in an

effort to respond to this resolution, will generally approve,

upon the request of an agency so affected, a detail to special

duty (DSD), not to exceed six months, for an employee requiring

light duty. Such a detail will generally be approved even if it

is a downward detail (the employee's pay cannot be cut), or

even if a double encumbering situation is necessary. Of course,

an agency is never required to make such a request, however,

when warranted, state agencies are most strongly encouraged to

make use of this policy.

A maximum of six (6) months is proposed because this is the

usual time required for an employee to remain on workers'

compensation. No extensions of this type of detail shall be

authorized. The reason for the detail must be clearly stated in

the remarks section. Details to lateral and lower positions

will generally receive rapid approval. Details to higher

positions for this purpose will be allowed and approved on a

case by case basis when adequately justified.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact

the Personnel Management Division at (504) 342-8274.

Sincerely,

Allen H. Reynolds

Director