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Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work (SAW/RTW) programs intend to help a worker who experiences an illness or injury to remain at work, or if the worker has left the labor force, to return as soon as medically possible. The report includes a review of evidence published between 2008 and 2018 on the effects of SAW/RTW or related programs on employment and the receipt of federal disability benefits.

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Key Takeaways

• The results of the meta-analytic regression suggest that the higher-quality evidence shows larger impacts for program models that include employment services, such as the Individual Placement and Support model.
• The review of systematic reviews indicates that program models have generally positive results for individuals with musculoskeletal conditions, including low back pain, and some models show positive results for individuals with mental illness.
• The available evidence on SAW/RTW programs tends to be low-quality, and findings from high-quality studies are difficult to interpret.
• In general, studies with larger sample sizes have greater statistical power and can conclude with high confidence that estimated impacts fall within a narrow range.
• The results of the meta-analytic review of all individual studies finds few stable patterns in how impacts vary with disability type or program model.

Citation

Nichols, A., Geyer, J., Grosz, M., Epstein, Z., Wood, M. (2020). Abt Associates. Synthesis of Evidence about Stay-at-Work/ Return-to-Work (SAW/RTW) and Related Programs. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

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The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.