Advocacy: From Return-to-Work to Self-Advocacy

By Patricia Nunez, MA, CRC, CDMS, CCM

The goal of disability management is the “prevention and minimization of the human and economic impact of illness and disability” for both the employee and the employer. This is accomplished through a variety of services and solutions—all of which speak to advocacy in action.

Certified disability management specialists (CDMSs) have knowledge and expertise in workplace interventions. Primary among them are returnto-work (RTW) and stay-at-work programs to maintain the productivity of employees who are ill, injured, or have disabilities.

Years ago, many employers were reluctant to bring employees back to work or to keep them on the job unless they were “100 percent.” Fortunately, this attitude has changed with regulations such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)—as well as greater recognition of the importance of maintaining the employee’s connection to the workplace.

In addition, self-advocacy also encourages the employee to contribute their own ideas and creativity to the job modification process. After all, the individual knows their job better than anyone.

Increasingly, RTW and stay-at-work interventions are provided to employees who are ill, injured, or have disabilities that are work-related or that are nonoccupational in nature. As an advocate, the CDMS engages with the individual, the employer, and the health provider to facilitate a safe and timely RTW or stay-at-work plan.

These arrangements often involve job modifications, such as light duties or a reduced schedule. By utilizing their expertise, a CDMS can explore job modifications or accommodations that are reasonable and fair for the employer, while providing meaningful work that matches the employees’ capabilities.

Consider the example of an employee who returns to work at a large company following a serious illness, such as cancer, after surgery, recovery, and chemotherapy or radiation. The person’s RTW plan is facilitated by a disability manager who works for the employer, with light duties and other job modifications. Over time, the employee is able to return to their regular duties and fulltime work.

However, follow-up appointments and ongoing treatment requires flexibility in scheduling and periodic changes in duties. The CDMS can coach the employee in how to articulate and request what they need, without having to disclose their entire medical history. The disability manager is there to intervene, when necessary, but the rapport built between the employee and the employer during the RTW process should allow for that communication and self-advocacy.

The Importance of Self-Advocacy

For the CDMS, advocacy does not end with a job modification or workplace arrangement. Interactions with the employee should also include the promotion of self-advocacy. This involves education and empowerment of the individual to help them pursue additional support and services, whether from the employer or within the community.

In addition, self-advocacy also encourages the employee to contribute their own ideas and creativity to the job modification process. After all, the individual knows their job better than anyone. An employee who is highly motivated can work collaboratively with the employer—and perhaps even with colleagues—to suggest solutions that

Patty Nunez, MA, CRC, CDMS, CCM, is a Commissioner and serves as Secretary on the Executive Committee of the Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC), the first and largest nationally accredited organization certifying more than 50,000 professional case managers and disability management specialists. The Commission oversees the process of case manager certification with its CCM® credential and the process of disability management specialist certification with its CDMS® credential. Patty is also a director within the Claim Supply Management office of CNA, and is based in CNA’s Orange County, California, location. continues on page 36