RETAINWORKS Impact Evaluation

The Retaining Employment and Talent after Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN) demonstration is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to improve employment outcomes for individuals who experience injuries or illnesses that put them at risk of exiting the labor force and relying on disability programs and other public supports in the long term. RETAIN projects include a combination of medical provider services, stay-at-work/return-to-work (SAW/RTW) coordination services, and other SAW/RTW services. This evaluation will focus on the Kansas Department of Commerce's implementation of "RETAINWORKS" statewide. The evaluation will document how the project is implemented, describe enrollees, estimate the project's impacts on enrollees' outcomes, and assess whether the benefits outweigh the costs.

The Kansas Department of Commerce has partnered with a consortium of medical and business partners to implement "RETAINWORKS" statewide. SSA contracted with Mathematica to conduct an independent evaluation of the program. Under the RETAIN model medical providers receive training and incentives to use occupational health best practices. The state agency also coordinates SAW/RTW services for the enrollee, fosters communication among RETAINWORKS stakeholders about the treatment enrollee returning to work, and monitors the enrollee's medical and employment progress. RETAINWORKS also uses nurse navigators and workforce coordinators to support workplace-based interventions and retain or rehabilitate enrollees. Financial incentives are offered to participants and medical providers for milestone attainment and training achievement.

Kansas recruits participants through referrals from medical providers. After initial intake by a nurse navigator, a workforce coordinator randomly assigns each enrollee to either a treatment group that is eligible to receive the full set of RETAIN intervention activities or a control group that is not. The evaluation team then compares the outcomes of the two groups and gathers evidence on how RETAINWORKS shaped the outcomes of enrollees who were eligible for its services, regardless of whether they participated in those services. Data sources include enrollment data, surveys, administrative records, program data, and qualitative data.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria

* Has a work disability. Work disability is defined as an injury, illness, or medical condition that has the potential to inhibit or prevent continued employment or labor force participation. Work disability exists when an employee is not able to perform their usual work as a result of a health problem
* The work disability (i.e., illness, injury, or medical condition) must impact the participant's employment in one or more of the following ways:

  1. Participant's ability to attend work;
  2. Participant's ability to perform work duties;
  3. Participant's work performance/productivity
* The condition must be a new condition or an exacerbation of a chronic condition that falls into one or more of the following categories:

  1. Musculoskeletal injuries;
  2. Mental health disorders;
  3. Chronic diseases such as Diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), or Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) - this list is not all-inclusive;
  4. Other newly diagnosed illnesses or injuries that affect the individual's employment
* The condition may be acquired from or attributed to either on-the-job (occupational-related) or off-the-job (non-occupational-related) factors
* The participant must meet all the following criteria:

  1. Be between the ages of 18 and 65 years;
  2. Be currently employed or seeking employment;
  3. Either live or work in Kansas;
  4. Have a valid social security number;
  5. Be legally authorized to work in the United States

Exclusion Criteria

* May NOT have application for SSDI or SSI benefits pending or already receiving such benefits at the onset of the injury or illness