Triage assessment referral - Archived Jun 6, 2024

Workers who have a psychological work restriction to not work with their date-of-accident employer are eligible for assistance with preparing a resume and 12-weeks of supported job search.  These limited services are offered as the worker is fit for their full duties; however, their restrictions require that they find the same job with a new employer.

A job lead is not provided in this situation.  Supported job search ends after 12-weeks and the worker is not entitled to an extension or to a wage loss supplement as they are able to find work in their date-of-accident position with another employer.

There are five primary public service employers who will accommodate workers with long-term or permanent work restrictions. These employers include:

• The Government of Canada (including Canada Post)
• The Government of Alberta
• Alberta Health Services (including Covenant Health)
• The City of Edmonton
• The City of Calgary

The accommodation process with these employers may take longer and, in most cases, full re-employment services are not required. 

Note:  Send the CL502D - Fit for Work - Emp Prolonged Accommodation to communicate a fitness decision for a worker whose employer has a prolonged accommodation process.

Consider referring the worker for a re-employment triage assessment when: 

• The employer identifies a permanent accommodation that requires specific retraining or indicates retraining will open opportunities for permanent accommodation.
• The worker decides to sever their employment.

A unique position is defined as a job that has been customized (or created) by the employer, either through equipment, hours worked, pay at a higher wage than the job is worth, or duties refined (i.e., the position cannot be found in the general population).  This may occur for the worker’s date-of-accident position or a permanent work accommodation.  In these cases, the worker becomes eligible for full re-employment services which may include a wage loss supplement. 

To determine if a position is unique consider: 

• Was the worker in a specialized position, exclusive to the date-of-accident employer? 
• Is the same position available in the general population?
• Is the worker qualified for the position or has the employer made an exception specifically for the worker, overlooking training and education? 
• Was the date-of-accident salary inflated due to the locale of the position and the worker could not reasonably earn this amount in the same position in the locale being used to estimate earnings? Refer to ALIS or the Labour Market Profiles (LMP) for salary information in a specific locale.

For worker's who live outside of Alberta (including foreign workers), some services may be done in Alberta, while others may need to be completed where the worker lives. Use Alberta providers whenever possible and refer to out-of-province providers for those services that cannot be provided by Alberta-based providers.

RE triage assessment

The RE triage assessment must be completed by a provider in Alberta. This assessment can be completed over the phone.

Ergonomic assessment

An ergonomic assessment can be completed outside of Alberta providing the occupational therapist is licensed in the province they work in. This means that it may not be possible for an Alberta occupational therapist to do an assessment in another province.

Supported job search (SJS)

Supported job search, including any applicable extension, should always be completed by a local provider (a provider in the province/country where the worker lives) unless the worker wants to look for work in Alberta.  A local provider is the best option for providing support during a job search because they have a better understanding of the local job market. If a local provider does not exist, the worker can complete an independent job search. 

When the referral is made to an out-of-province provider for SJS, a separate referral must be made to an Alberta-based provider for the job option service to locate a job lead in Alberta. A job lead from Alberta is needed to support a decision to estimate earnings in Alberta. The job option service will locate a walk-in job option. The Alberta provider will look for a job lead for the duration of the out-of-province SJS (including applicable extensions), or until a suitable and accessible job lead is found, whichever occurs first.

Alberta providers will look for job options in all of Alberta, but once options are identified, a specific locale must be chosen. ALIS as well as Alberta labour market information and salary records are used when reviewing job option suitability. The location of the Alberta-based position must be reasonable and fair. The Case Manager should select an option in the area where the worker was working at the time of injury, when appropriate, or in another area in Alberta where the worker could potentially relocate.

When the worker:

• lived in Alberta on their date of accident, the provider will identify job leads in the same locale where they lived and/or worked. The provider will complete a Job option report (C1334) explaining why the job lead is suitable and accessible. An offer of assistance to relocate to Alberta is typically not required as the worker chose to relocate after the date of accident. 
• did not live in Alberta on their date of accident and has a pre-approved job option, the provider must look for leads within the chosen locale in Alberta. The provider will complete a Job option report (C1334) explaining why the job lead is suitable and accessible. The decision maker will offer the worker assistance to relocate to Alberta. 
• did not live in Alberta on their date of accident and do not have a pre-approved job option, the provider may look for leads anywhere in Alberta. Once a job lead is found, the provider will complete a Job option report (C1334) explaining why the position is suitable and accessible.  The Case Manager must determine that it is reasonable and fair to use that locale for estimating earnings, if necessary. The Case Manager will offer the worker assistance to relocate to Alberta.

When a training plan is being proposed, the C880T must be developed by an Alberta-based provider, however the training program itself can be completed by the worker in another province. Please note on the referral that a training option is needed, along with a walk-in option, so that the provider knows to find both. The RE provider will likely prepare two separate job option reports: one for the walk-in option and one for the training option (as it can take longer to identify and research details related to the training option).

Note: The walk-in option can be found with or without the worker's participation, however the training option should be developed with the worker's participation even when the training will be completed out of province. Please indicate on the referral whether to include the worker in the development of the walk-in option.

Assistance for locating out of province (OOP) Supported job search services

Confirm the worker's address in eCO is their out-of-province address.

Complete a Return-to-work referral script as required (step 4).  Select “Out of Province” in the provider drop down box. When the script is completed, a task is automatically sent to the HCS Out of Province Referral, Team Desk. The referral coordinator will locate a provider, edit the task with the provider's information, and reassign it to Access to Information (ATI) to complete a medical package (medpack) and send the referral to the provider.  They will add a file note indicating which provider the medical package was sent to for the decision maker to reference.

To request changes to the standard medpack, send a file note to the Medpack, Team Desk indicating the type and date of the documents to be included or removed.

Re-employment services can be completed as part of an integrated Return to Work (RTW) program or may be completed as stand-alone services.  If the accident employer is unable to provide modified work, the provider is authorized to provide RE services as part of a return to work (RTW) program. The provider will assess the worker when they are two-thirds the way through the program and will start RE services if the worker is expected to have permanent restrictions and modified work remains unavailable.

The provider (in consultation with the decision maker) tailors the RE services to meet the needs of each worker. 

The following interventions may be requested as supplementary assessments at any time during the claim:

• Academic Assessment
• Labour Market Profile Salary refresh

The RE triage assessment will assess the worker's RE service needs and recommend the RE services that best suit those needs.

The worker will meet with the re-employment provider for about 90 minutes during which they will gather details about the worker's employment background, their experience with looking for work and their interests, skills and goals.  The provider will then make recommendations for the RE services that will best help the worker with their return to work. For example, they might recommend the worker attend training to improve their computer or customer service skills, get help developing their resume, etc. 

Service fee: Refer to C1351 form in the internal forms database.

General resume 

The provider collaborates with the worker to develop a resume based on the transferable skills information that was gathered during the triage assessment. 

The general resume provides a documented summary of the worker’s education and occupational qualifications, experience, skills and accomplishments in an effective format. It provides the worker with a self-marketing tool for sharing with potential employers.

Service fee: Refer to C1351 form in the internal forms database.

Resume update

The provider updates the worker's general resume to relate to a specific job option while the worker is in supported job search.

Service fee: Refer to C1351 form in the internal forms database.

Job option services provide the decision maker with a job option that is suitable for the worker. The provider may also provide a job lead for the job option. It may or may not include the worker actively participating in the service and is appropriate in the following situations: 

• The worker lives out of provinceThe worker does not live in the province of Alberta. (OOP) - The job option service will provide a job option and job lead for a walk-in in option, a training plan, or both. This service is completed concurrently with the supported job search (SJS) services that the worker is receiving from a provider in their province. 
• Retroactive - a job option is provided; a job lead is not.
• Duty to cooperate (D2C) - a job option is provided; a job lead is not.
• Documentary - provides a job option and a job lead when there is a valid reason for the worker not participating in SJS (for example, the worker has a concurrent condition (another medical issue) that prevents them from looking for work. 

Service fee: Refer to C1351 form in the internal forms database.

Labour market profile (LMP) salary refresh service is requested to refresh the salary information that is attached to specific LMP.   The re-employment specialist can request the LMP salary refresh following discussion with the decision maker, or the decision maker can request a refresh of the salary information as a stand-alone service.  

For the salary refresh, the researcher will complete one employer contact to determine if there has been a significant change in the median starting salary. The researcher will also determine if there is any change to the job requirements (e.g., physical demands, skills, education, etc.) and, if so, will update LMP.  If there has not been a significant change, the position validation date is updated and the salary expiry date of all the salary records for that position in the same area will be extended by another year (one year from the validation date).

Service fee: Refer to C1351 form in the internal forms database.

An academic assessment evaluates the worker’s suitability for and probability of successfully completing a training (academic, educational upgrading) program.  

Academic assessments should only be completed if there is not already enough information on file to support that the worker has a high probability of success with the training. Examples could include recent completion of a GED, completion of previous training/course work, etc.

Service fee:  Refer to C1351 form in the internal forms database.

Supported job search (that is, looking for a job) is a flexible, individualized service to support a worker in their search for employment. Every worker will be offered a fully supportive and dynamic job search, unique to their needs and circumstances. The service is provided for a minimum of 12 weeks unless a worker finds work before then. SJS may be extended up to a maximum of 20 weeks if the worker qualifies for an extension. See 7-2 Supported job search procedure for information on extensions.

There are three streams of SJS:

1. Standard: This is suited for workers who have a clear job path with clear transferable skills who can immediately look for work without further services. Also suited to workers who would likely have a difficult time identifying job options.
2. Integrated: This stream incorporates components of job planning into the SJS for workers who have uncertainty about what is next and need help building a plan. The entire 12 weeks of SJS is focused on concurrent job search and planning.
3. Integrated plus training: This is suited for workers who need planning and who would benefit from longer-term training to become competitively employable. These workers will receive a walk-in job option that they can search for before starting their training plan.