CALAMBA CITY, Laguna (PIA) — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) through its Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) continues to help employees with occupational diseases and work-related injuries return to the labor force through the Return-To-Work Assistance Program (RTWAP).
Last February 28, the ECC Region IV-A launched the RTWAP to address work-related incidents and help injured workers back on their feet through an interdisciplinary approach.
The program includes benefits ranging from medical/surgical package; return to work rehabilitation, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and psychological support; prognostication; salary or allowance arrangement and a cost-benefit analysis of the program.
According to ECC, the RTWAP aims to empower employees with disabilities to preserve their identity as productive persons with a disability (PWD).
“The RTWAP is the newest approach to rehabilitation. Our goal is to get injured workers back on their feet safely because the longer an employee is away from work, the less likely he or she will return,” former ECC Executive Director Stella Banawis explained.
Banawis, who pioneered the RTWAP in Calamba City, said its pilot implementation is timely, especially in the Calabarzon region which houses industrial hubs.
The RTWAP also gives injured employees an option to return to their employer with the same or different job, find another employer, or consider self-employment.
Government institutions such as the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) also provide benefits and arrange for the employees’ rehabilitation services and assistive devices to ensure the employees’ safe and early return to work. (Patricia Bermudez, PIA4A)
