Disability Management: Its Definitions and Benefits

At first consideration, the term disability management might be confusing at best, given how it can mean many different things to different people. But disability management is not only fairly simple to define and understand but it brings numerous benefits to all concerned.

First, disability in the workplace is what is involved here. And a disability is defined in these terms: as “an impairment that restricts the ability to perform normal daily activities—one of which is work—where impairment is any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological, or anatomical structure or function” (according to ceiu.org).

So those in charge of disability management will 1) strive to provide accommodations that keep impairment incidents from becoming disability circumstances; and will 2) work to provide such accommodations that contribute to employees timely (or quicker) return to the workplace.

In the same respect, disability management specialists will train, establish programs for, and find the best possible tools for disability management personnel, employers, or others in the business of keeping workers healthy, motivated, and productive.

These special disability management services and tools have an increasingly positive impact on the workforce environment and the people therein: with such things as a) absence reporting, b) disability evaluations, c) independent medical examinations, d) integrated reporting programs, and e) coordination efforts for the return to work stage(s), disability management services help to facilitate the disabled and/or impaired return and/or continued work presence.

And while integration plans like these do not always feature such plans as a) absence recertification programs; b) early assessment of disability claims measures; c)disability-length certifying; d) medical treatment plan reviewing; e) channel-networking to preferred providers; or even administrative support for STD claims, many disability management services do give disability managers/employers benefits to look forward to.

And those concerned with disability management appreciate such benefits, especially when they help save on what could be costly absences, medical care, and direct or indirect disability expenditures.