COVID-19 And Recession: How Both Could Impact Return To Work

It’s no secret that return-to-work is an important part of workers’ comp. Getting an injured worker back on the job and back to their full health marks the successful end to a workers’ comp claim and it allows the employee to get back to living their life.

The question of how to get an injured employee back to work becomes complicated, however, when they may not have a job to return to.

Many businesses have been forced to close suddenly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and layoffs abound, making the question of whether or not a job is waiting for injured workers is a very real one.

A recent Marist poll of 835 adults found that 18% had either personally experienced or had someone in their household experience a layoff or reduction in work hours as a result of coronavirus.

These numbers are unlikely to get better anytime soon. An article from the Economic Policy Institute predicts that 3 million U.S. jobs would be lost by summertime if the government employs only a moderate stimulus package to address the pandemic.