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The postinjury return-to-work (RTW) status of 502 injured workers in Montana who were referred for vocational rehabilitation services between 1984 and 1991 was examined to determine which variables improved the capacity to predict RTW outcomes after injury. Predictor variables included age, education, attorney involvement, mandated vocational rehabilitation, and time from injury to referral. The number of years of preinjury education was found to be a strong predictor of postinjury RTW outcomes. Age, attorney involvement, mandated vocational rehabilitation, and timely provision of services were also found to be significant predictors.
Work-related injuries and return to work (RTW) after injury have become issues of growing national concern (Tate, 1992b; Weed & Field, 2001). Each year, more than half a million workers in the United States incur injuries or illnesses that disable them for at least 5 months. Almost half of these individuals never return to work (Hester, Decelles, & Gaddis, 1986; National Institute of Handicapped Research [NIHR], n.d.; Tate, 1992b). According to the National Academy of Social Insurance (2000), in 1998 the resulting financial burden in terms of direct costs for medical care and cash benefits to the injured worker was estimated to be $41.7 billion. This amount does not include employer-related costs, expenses related to loss of productivity, and replacement worker costs (Perry, 1996; Pope & Tarlov, 1991). As these costs increase, RTW has become more important, and interest in identifying predictors of RTW has increased (Beck, 1989; Gardner, 1991; Hall, 1994; Hester et al., 1986; Perry, 1996; Smith & Crisler, 1985).
Earlier findings suggested a number of factors that might influence successful RTW outcomes for workers injured on the job. These included, but were not limited to, workers' compensation benefit systems, timely provision of vocational rehabilitation services, worker injury types and demographic characteristics, and attorney involvement (Ash & Goldstein, 1995; Gardner, 1991; Gumerman, 1998; Hester et al., 1986; Loeser, Henderlite, & Conrad, 1995; Tate, 1992b).
Some studies supported the contention that laws for compensating injured workers have been found to decrease the potential for returning to work (Bednar, Baesher-Griffith, & Osterman, 1998; Hunter, Shaha, Flint, & Tracy, 1998; Loeser et al., 1995; Roidl, 1996; Tate, 1992a). Other studies, however, found no relationship between compensation and return to work (Dworkin, Handlin, Richlin, Brand, &...