Again, the quarterback, the case manager, is the first person who really takes that issue on. When we first get a file and it's an allowable claim, we do a very thorough assessment of the worker and their abilities, their skills, their barriers, and their medical situation. As well, we do an assessment of the employer and their abilities and history in terms of returning workers to function.
We also have a right to gather all the related medical information with respect to the area of injury, and we facilitate care to make sure that the workers get the best possible treatment early.
We have a very good, sound understanding of what their physical abilities are, typically before we get involved in a return-to-work intervention, so to speak, or before we plan it.
With regard to disputes over that assessment, we try to use the worker's physician's reporting as our primary source of abilities, because the worker has the right to choose their own physician. Where a file or a medical case does not progress as we would expect—for example, in the case of a strain, where there seem to be other things lingering, etc.—then we would employ some of our specialty clinics or preferred providers to give the worker an elevated type of care, for example, a specialist or whoever, and at the same time involve the treating physician so that everyone is roped into the findings.
In the end, we try not to make our decisions based on what the employer says, because they have no idea what the worker's abilities are in or outside the employment. We look at the medical assessment of the worker, and we try to come to an agreement with the worker of what their abilities are—not necessarily their work abilities, but what their abilities are. We then require the employer to try to match their abilities to the workplace.
It might be that they can do only simple filing, but at least we get the worker into the workplace, and that's our goal from the very beginning. As you heard earlier, we see positive collaborative relationships occur when someone gets back into the workplace.