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Scoping Review of Work Disability Policies and Programs
- Ellen MacEachen, Bronson Du, Emma Bartel, Kerstin Ekberg, Emile Tompa, Agnieszka Kosny, Ivana Petricone, Jackie Stapleton
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- Journal:
- International Journal of Disability Management / Volume 12 / 2017
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 20 June 2017, e1
- Print publication:
- 2017
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Purpose: This scoping review identifies the foci of research articles that address government laws, policies and programs designed to foster labour market integration of people who, due to illness or disability, face challenges entering or staying in the workforce. Method: A systematic search of English-language peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2014 yielded 14,474 articles. Title and abstract review identified 723 included articles that addressed government-led programs, policy or legislation on work integration and/or income support after injury, illness or impairment. These were sorted by theme, work disability program or policy, disability type, jurisdiction and year published. Results: The number of articles published that address work disability laws, policies and programs increased steadily. Most articles addressed disability in general. Among articles with a specific health focus, mental health was the most common. Research gaps are identified for mixed method study designs, chronic and episodic conditions, illness and cancer, and for work disability policy studies outside of North America, Northern Europe and Australia. Conclusions: We find a growing number of published articles about work disability and policy and identify specific areas where is a need for further research.
The impact of work injury and permanent impairment on the probability of poverty
- Emile Tompa
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- Journal:
- International Journal of Disability Management / Volume 9 / 2014
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 12 November 2014, e22
- Print publication:
- 2014
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- Article
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Objectives: We investigate the prevalence of poverty across different workers compensation programs using large representative samples of workers’ compensation claimants who have sustained a permanent impairment from a work injury. The programs, which have existed in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia, Canada over the last 25 years, are the Permanent Disability (PD) program, the Future Economic Loss (FEL) program, the Loss of Earnings (LOE) program, and the Bifurcated Benefits (BB) program. The nature of benefit determination and the return to work supports provided by the four programs are very different. The focus of the study is on evidence of programmatic impact on the probability of poverty in the nine years post injury.
Methods: The study included claimants sampled from each of the four programs who sustained a permanent impairment from a work injury. Claimants were identified in a Revenue Canada tax database know as the Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD), which is a longitudinal 20% simple random sample of all Canadian tax filers. Each claimant was matched with similar uninjured controls that were also in the LAD, based on sex, age, labour-market earnings amounts and trajectories in the four years prior to injury, family income, marital status, number of children, and a propensity score. Descriptive analysis was undertaken to compare near poverty, poverty and deep poverty levels of claimants relative to their match controls using data on family and individual earnings over a ten-year period post injury. Statistical modeling was used to determine the probability of poverty and near poverty for claimants versus controls. A key issue of interest was to determine was whether the probability of poverty differed between programs.
Results: Based on after-tax adjusted family income, the level of poverty was quite low, less than 2% in every program over a ten-year period. The level of poverty was also lower for claimants than their matched controls, but only nominally so. The BB program had the lowest proportion of poverty followed by the PD program, the FEL program and then the LOE program. In the statistical modelling analysis male claimants did not have a higher probability of poverty compared to controls, though female claimants did. Both male and female claimants had a higher probability of near poverty.
Conclusions: Poverty levels are very low for workers’ compensation claimants who sustain permanent impairments from a work injury across different programs and time periods in Ontario and British Columbia. Overall the Bifurcated Benefits program from British Columbia had the lowest proportion of claimants in poverty in absolute terms and relative to non-injured workers. Increased levels of poverty due to work injury and permanent impairment are particularly a concern for female claimants, though both female and male claimants have a higher chance of near poverty compared to non-injured workers.
Work disability trajectories under three workers’ compensation programs
- Emile Tompa
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- Journal:
- International Journal of Disability Management / Volume 9 / 2014
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 12 November 2014, e60
- Print publication:
- 2014
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- Article
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Objective: We investigate labour-market earnings of workers’ compensation claimants from three distinctly different workers’ compensation insurance support programs for claimants with permanent impairments. These three programs, which existed in Ontario, Canada in different periods over the last 25 years, are the Permanent Disability (PD) program, the Future Economic Loss (FEL) program, and the Loss of Earnings (LOE) program. The nature of benefit determination and the return to work supports provided by three programs are very different. The focus of the study is on evidence of programmatic impact on labour-market earnings recovery trajectories over nine years post injury.
Methods: The study included claimants sampled from each of the three programs who sustained a permanent impairment from a work injury. Claimants were identified in a Revenue Canada tax file database known as the Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD), which is a longitudinal 20% simple random sample of all Canadian tax filers. Each claimant was matched with similar uninjured controls that were also in the LAD, based on sex, age, labour-market earnings amounts and trajectories in the four years prior to injury, and a propensity score. Statistical modeling analysis was undertaken to compare the labour-market earnings trajectories of claimants relative to their matched controls using data on earnings over the nine years post injury. Analyses focused on sub-strata defined by program, sex, age, permanent impairment level, and pre-injury earnings. A key issue of interest was to determine which program of supports resulted in the best labour-market earnings recovery.
Results: Five distinct earnings recovery trajectories were identified. Claimants in various demographic and pre-injury earnings sub-strata from the LOE program cohort had a statistically significant lower probability of the lowest earnings recovery trajectory, and higher probability of the second highest trajectory compared to the PD cohort. Results for the LOE program were similar to the FEL program.
Conclusions: Injured workers from the LOE program appear to fare better than claimants from the PD program and similarly to those from the FEL program in terms of labour-market earnings recovery over the nine years post injury. Across all programs, older claimants fare more poorly, and women fare worse than men in terms of labour-market earnings recovery.
Navigating work disability paradigms and reform in Canada
- Emile Tompa
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- Journal:
- International Journal of Disability Management / Volume 9 / 2014
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 12 November 2014, e13
- Print publication:
- 2014
-
- Article
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- You have access Access
- Export citation
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Objective: We investigate labour-market earnings of workers’ compensation claimants from three distinctly different workers’ compensation insurance support programs for claimants with permanent impairments. These three programs, which existed in Ontario, Canada in different periods over the last 25 years, are the Permanent Disability (PD) program, the Future Economic Loss (FEL) program, and the Loss of Earnings (LOE) program. The nature of benefit determination and the return to work supports provided by three programs are very different. The focus of the study is on evidence of programmatic impact on labour-market earnings recovery trajectories over nine years post injury.
Methods: The study included claimants sampled from each of the three programs who sustained a permanent impairment from a work injury. Claimants were identified in a Revenue Canada tax file database known as the Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD), which is a longitudinal 20% simple random sample of all Canadian tax filers. Each claimant was matched with similar uninjured controls that were also in the LAD, based on sex, age, labour-market earnings amounts and trajectories in the four years prior to injury, and a propensity score. Statistical modeling analysis was undertaken to compare the labour-market earnings trajectories of claimants relative to their matched controls using data on earnings over the nine years post injury. Analyses focused on sub-strata defined by program, sex, age, permanent impairment level, and pre-injury earnings. A key issue of interest was to determine which program of supports resulted in the best labour-market earnings recovery.
Results: Five distinct earnings recovery trajectories were identified. Claimants in various demographic and pre-injury earnings sub-strata from the LOE program cohort had a statistically significant lower probability of the lowest earnings recovery trajectory, and higher probability of the second highest trajectory compared to the PD cohort. Results for the LOE program were similar to the FEL program.
Conclusions: Injured workers from the LOE program appear to fare better than claimants from the PD program and similarly to those from the FEL program in terms of labour-market earnings recovery over the nine years post injury. Across all programs, older claimants fare more poorly, and women fare worse than men in terms of labour-market earnings recovery.