Rehabilitation Services are provided by Canada Life Disability Intervention Services and offer comprehensive medical and vocational rehabilitation to address an employee’s barriers to employability. The mission is to reduce employer Benefit costs by helping and empowering employees to avoid or mitigate potential disability claims and, for employees currently disabled, to offer services and/or training to enable a return to gainful employment in a timely manner. The approach is collaborative, interdisciplinary and holistic.
Canada Life’s Rehabilitation Service professionals are committed to:
- Working collaboratively with the employee, employer and Union
Providing exceptional customer service - Ensuring transparency while respecting privacy through open and effective communications
- Supporting the employer in the delivery of the Early Intervention Program and Enhanced Disability Management Program which have been negotiated through collective bargaining.
Rehabilitation Services examines all vocational and medical barriers to employability when developing a Rehabilitation Plan. Medical factors include the employee’s current medical status as well as the impact of secondary diagnoses; vocational factors include transferable skills, employment history and education. Managing barriers to employability should begin early, ideally before or soon after an absence has begun.
Steps taken to manage barriers include:
- Rehabilitation case management and service coordination
- Early access to medical services
- Psychological support and counselling
- Diagnostic testing, assessment and treatment plans
- Work conditioning and functional testing
- Return to employment planning, training and job search assistance
HBT’s Rehabilitation Consultants have a minimum of five years experience in the medical and vocational rehabilitation field. All consultants are allied health professionals who are registered in good standing with their respective governing bodies and include:
- Registered Nurses
- Occupational Health Nurses
- Occupational Therapists
- Kinesiologists
- Counselling Psychologists
- Vocational Rehabilitation Counsellors
Early intervention and continuity in case management can help shorten or prevent a Long Term Disability (LTD) claim. To this end HBT Rehabilitation Consultants provide a continuum of rehabilitation case management throughout the various stages of the claim:
- Employee is struggling at work
- Employee’s absence from work preceding long term disability
- Employee’s transition into an LTD claim
Rehabilitation Services is available to HBT member organizations and their employees entitled to Long Term Disability (LTD) Benefits. With appropriate rehabilitation and support, many employees are able to remain at work or return to gainful employment earlier.
Rehabilitation can start any time after the employee and their health care provider agree it is medically appropriate. Rehabilitation should begin as early as possible to increase the chances of a successful return to gainful employment.
Rehabilitation Services accepts referrals from employees, employers, Union representatives, and Canada Life.
Rehabilitation Services benefits employees by:
- Helping employees remain at work and/or return to gainful employment sooner
- Providing employees with services to promote recovery
Rehabilitation Services benefits the employer by:
- Reducing the duration of workplace absences
- Preventing/mitigating LTD claims
- Avoiding and reducing the length of LTD claims which results in lowering disability and Health Benefits costs
- Increasing workplace productivity
- Supporting the delivery of Early Intervention and Enhanced Disability Management Programs