Washington State’s Shift in Vocational Recovery Prevents Work Disability, Puts Workers Back on the Job, Saves System Hundreds of Millions of Dollars

In the past six years, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has changed the focus of its State Fund workers’ compensation system to one that is worker centric. As a result, the department has seen a decline in worker disability, more injured workers returning to their job, and hundreds of millions of dollars in savings. Using evidence-informed approaches, along with recommendations from the vocational community, Washington has developed recovery interventions that are applied comprehensively within its workers’ compensation system. This -paradigm shift aligns the interests of the worker and employer, fostering a collaborative effort focused on return to work. It has resulted in the reduction of needless work disability, improved outcomes for workers, and lowered costs for employers, all while putting counseling back into vocational rehabilitation. In the course of this effort, we have seen that vocational recovery is most effective when supported by administrative processes, information technology systems, stated expectations for service providers coupled with quality assurance requirements, and administrative rules and laws.