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Arkansas Rehabilitation Services (ARS)

Stay at Work / Return to Work (SAW/RTW)

What is Stay at Work / Return to Work (SAW / RTW)

SAW/RTW is designed to provide support to employers when assisting employees that experience injury or illness that results in disability in remaining at work or returning to work as soon as it is safe and medically feasible. Program staff has the expertise to assist in the areas of:

  • Vocational counseling to assist an employee in the process of adjusting to a disability and the importance of remaining positive as it relates to stay and work/return to work efforts;
  • Specialized vocational assessments that help identify an employee’s vocational strengths and weaknesses as it relates to successful job performance;
  • Job site assessment to determine how an employee’s presenting disability interferes with task performance with identification of potential modifications to the work environment;
  • Job analysis to identify the specific functions of a job and the mental and/or physical requirements needed for successful job performance;
  • Individualized employee training regarding the correct use of any new technology or equipment introduced to assist in work performance;
  • Staff can also provide general ergonomic assessments and training targeted toward employees in jobs that may present the likelihood of occurrence of injury or illness that leads to disability.

Development of a Stay at Work/Return to Work plan that, if required, addresses the need for accommodation in the workplace; with employer assistance, an investigation to determine potential assignments for transitional employment.

Why Stay at Work / Return to Work?

Assisting an employee in remaining at work or returning to work because of an acquired disability is not just the “legal” thing to do. It’s the “right” thing to do. This becomes readily apparent when an employer compares the direct and indirect costs of replacing an employee to that of providing accommodation to an existing employee who can successfully do a job they have been trained to do. It just makes good business sense.

Stay at Work/Return to Work (SAW/RTW) staff are available to assist employers by identifying accommodations that work. These “accommodation specialists” focus on what an employee can do or is capable of doing with the right accommodation. By working hand–in–hand with the employer and employee, new or different ways of successfully performing work tasks can be identified either by adjusting how specific tasks are performed or introducing the use of different technologies or equipment to assist in task completion.

What Services Does Stay at Work / Return to Work Offer?

Services Include:

  • Vocational counseling to assist an employee in the process of adjusting to their disability and the importance of remaining positive as it relates to stay at work/return to work efforts.
  • Specialized vocational assessments that help identify an employee’s vocational strengths and weaknesses as it relates to successful job performance.
  • Job site assessment to determine how an employee’s presenting disability interferes with task performance with the identification of potential modifications to the work environment.
  • Job analysis to identify the specific functions of a job and the mental and/or physical requirements needed for successful job performance.
  • Development of a stay at work/ return to work plan that, if required, addresses the need for accommodation in the workplace.
  • With employers’ assistance, an investigation to determine potential assignments for transitional employment.
  • Individual employee training regarding the correct use of any new technology or equipment introduced to assist in work performance.
  • General ergonomics assessment and training targeted toward employees in jobs that may present the likelihood of occurrence of injury or illness that leads to disability.

For Employers

Can you afford NOT to accommodate a person with a disability in your workplace?

  Here are some facts:

  • SAW/RTW can benefit employers by helping reduce the costs associated with health and disability in the workplace.
  • SAW/RTW can benefit employers by helping maintain productivity by allowing trained employees to remain at work.
  • Consultation services are designed to assist the employer in addressing accommodation questions related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

For Employees

Are you having trouble doing your job due to:

  • Mobility limitations?
  • A decrease in hearing or vision?
  • Chronic health conditions?
  • Physical impairment to the back, neck, shoulders, or extremities?
  • Learning disabilities?

Contact us for more information.

Contact Information

To find out more about Stay at Work/Return to Work, please contact:

Yvonne Rowland
Program Coordinator
501-682-4909
Yvonne.Rowland@arkansas.gov

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION

FROM THE ARKANSAS DIVISION OF WORKFORCE SERVICES​

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