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041 <br />2.3 Return to Work Process: When the treating physician releases an injured employee to <br />return to work, there are three possible scenarios. The physician will be asked to make <br />determination as to the employee's "Maximum Medical Improvement", a term which <br />signifies the point at which no substantial further medical improvement is expected. The <br />physician will also be asked to make an evaluation of the employee's ability to return to <br />work on the basis of the employee's current job description. <br />The three possible scenarios are as follows: <br />1. Employee has reached maximum medical improvement and can return to <br />the same job. The county will place the employee in his/her original position or <br />one of like seniority, status and pay, held prior to the workers compensation <br />leave. <br />2. Employee has not reached maximum medical improvement but is ready to <br />return to limited work duty with the approval of the treating physician. The <br />county will provide a modified work assignment or a transitional work assignment <br />suitable to the employee's capacity. The work assignment will be temporary and <br />will not normally exceed ninety (90) days. When the employee reaches <br />maximum medical improvement, the employee will return to his/her original <br />position or one of like seniority, status and pay held prior to workers <br />® compensation leave. <br />3. Employee has reached maximum medical improvement with a disability <br />that prevents the employee from returning to his/her original position. The <br />county will attempt to place the employee in another position suitable to the <br />employee's capacity. This work placement may be a permanent assignment or a <br />part-time or temporary assignment until a permanent assignment is found. <br />If a position is not available for work placement, the county shall appoint the <br />employee to fill the first suitable vacancy that occurs. During the interim period, if <br />a suitable vacancy is not available, the employee shall be referred for possible <br />return to work in another agency. Work placement efforts will continue for a <br />period not to exceed nine (9) months. <br />In some cases the extent of disability may require vocational rehabilitation. If so, <br />risk management will make the necessary arrangements for evaluation and to <br />provide training necessary to assist the employee in obtaining suitable <br />employment consistent with his/her performance capabilities. <br />• <br />1-0 Transitional Duty Policy 2 <br />