The Employer-at-Injury Program encourages the early return to work of injured workers by helping lower an employer’s early return-to-work costs and claim costs. The insurer helps the employer develop transitional work and request reimbursement for its costs.
What makes an employer eligible?
The employer must be the employer at injury or the employer at the time of an aggravation or own-motion opening. The employer must maintain Oregon workers’ compensation insurance coverage and follow all Oregon workers’ compensation laws.
What makes a worker eligible?
The worker must have a worker’s compensation claim. The worker must be released for work with restrictions that prevent the worker from doing full-duty regular work, which may include hourly restrictions only.
What is transitional work?
For purposes of the EAIP, transitional work is temporary work with the employer at injury that is not the worker’s regular full-duty work. The transitional work is assigned because the worker has restrictions that keep the worker from returning to regular full-duty work with regular hours. Transitional work must be within the worker’s specific injury-caused restrictions.
An employer can modify the worker’s regular work, reduce the worker's job duties, or assign the worker to a different job to create transitional work. Transitional work can also be created through a worksite modification. The transitional work may also be a skills building class or course of instruction.
Who initiates use of the EAIP?
Use of the EAIP by the employer is optional. However, if the employer requests EAIP benefits the insurer is required to assist the employer with the administration of benefits. To use it, the employer requests help from its workers’ compensation insurer or the insurer may suggest using the program. The insurer gets medical reports from the worker’s medical provider and helps the employer identify transitional work that the worker can do within their restrictions.
The injured worker may or may not know that the employer is using the program.
What are the benefits of EAIP?
- Wage subsidy repays the employer for 50 percent of the early return-to-work gross wages for up to 66 work days within a 24-consecutive-month period.
- Worksite modification and purchases of tools and equipment are limited to a combined maximum of $5,000. The employer can rent, purchase, or modify equipment so the worker can do early return-to-work job duties within the injury-related restrictions.
- Early return-to-work purchases provide the employer with reimbursement for a variety of purchases:
- Tuition, books, and fees for a class or course of instruction to update existing skills or develop new skills that meet the requirements of transitional work. The maximum benefit is $1,000.
- Clothing required for transitional work, except clothing the worker already possesses or the employer normally provides. The clothing becomes the property of the worker. The maximum benefit is $400.
The insurer may make reimbursement requests on
Form 2360 for all costs of the program, including a one-time administrative fee of $180.