HRDC - Evaluation of the Workers' Compensation Cost Recovery Program

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Appendix C: Interview Protocol and Departmental Representatives Interviewed

Evaluation of the Workers' Compensation Cost-Recovery Program Key Informant Interview Guide
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Name: _________________________________________________
Position: _________________________________________________
Department: _________________________________________________
Date: _________________________________________________
Duration: _________________________________________________
Phone/e-mail: _________________________________________________

Introduction

ARC Applied Research Consultants has contracted with HRDC-Labour and Evaluation and Data Development (EDD) to conduct an evaluation of HRDC's Workers' Compensation Cost Recovery Program implemented on April 1, 1998. The key issues for this evaluation are: policies and procedures to promote health and safety implemented since April 1, 1998; impacts on accident rates and compensation related to them; the adequacy of the cost recovery funding formula; and the overall impact of cost recovery on departments, including impacts on productivity.

Data collected through these interviews will remain confidential. Data will be aggregated in order to preserve confidentiality of individual responses.

Section 1- Claims Management and Case Management

Claims management relates to accident reporting investigation. Case management relates to the monitoring activities, the development of return to work plans and modifying the duties of an injured employee in order to facilitate their return to work.

1. What is your estimate of the amount of time currently spent by your department per claim on claim management?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

2. In your opinion what has been the impact of cost recovery on the amount of time spent per claim by your department on claim management?


Increase	Decrease	DK/Not sure

IF INCREASE or DECREASE, please estimate the percentage change (increase or decrease)?
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

3. What is your estimate of the current amount of time spent by your department per case on case management?
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

4. In your opinion what has been the impact of cost recovery on the amount of time spent per case by your department on case management?


Increase	Decrease	DK/Not sure

5. Can you provide any specific examples of cases where your department has used specific policies implemented since April 1, 1998 that have decreased the WCB costs to your department? Specifically, can you provide examples of cases where your department has taken a proactive approach to returning an employee to work after an accident? (Identify any "Best Practices" used by your department)
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

Section 2- Promoting Health and Safety in the Workplace

6. What types of actions or policies to promote health and safety did your department have in place prior to the implementation of cost recovery for Workers Compensation Benefits in April 1998?
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

7. What types of actions or policies to promote health and safety did your department implement after cost recovery (that is, after April 1, 1998)?
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

8. Are there any other actions or policies that your department plans to implement to further control workplace accidents or illnesses?
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

9. Has your department increased spending on workplace safety actions and programs since cost recovery?


Yes	No	DK/Not sure

IF YES, how much more?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

10. Has your department increased workplace safety training since April 1, 1998?


Yes	No	DK/Not sure

IF YES, please describe?

____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

Section 3 - Productivity Gains

In addition to the potential direct financial benefits that can be derived from the cost-recovery program, there also exists the potential for spill-over benefits to accrue from increased productivity. These benefits reflect reduced payments for replacement workers and reduced indirect losses. Indirect losses may be measured in terms of impact on work flow within the department and the loss of the specific skills of the injured or ill employees. Practices designed to minimize the risk of work-related accidents and illness, and/or which contribute to reductions in productive days lost, may produce indirect benefits resulting from cost recovery.

11. Thinking back to situations where employees have been unable to perform their jobs as a result of a workplace accident or illness, how has your department dealt with the loss of these employees? (replaced with a temporary worker, reallocated tasks within the department)
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

12. Have you been forced to hire replacement workers for sick or injured employees? (note: we are only interested in those employees whose illness or injury is work-related)


Yes	No	DK/Not sure

If YES, please estimate the annual cost to your department of hiring these extra workers. (note: please provide as much of a breakdown as possible for fiscal years 1995/96, 1996/97 ,1998/99, 1999/2000)
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

13. Is this amount in Question 12 lower than before the implementation of cost recovery?


Yes	No	DK/Not sure

If YES or NO, please explain.
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

14. What has been the impact of temporary/replacement employees on workplace productivity? Can you provide an estimate of the lost time (productivity) resulting from hiring these temporary/replacement workers? (Time taken by other employees to train replacement, lack of experience of the temporary employee, etc.)
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

15. In situations where injured or ill employees have not been replaced with temporary employees, how significantly has the absence to this employee affected the workplace? Can you estimate the total productivity (time) lost due to the absence of the sick or injured employee? (note: we are only interested in situations where the absence of the employee is related to a workplace accident or injury)
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

16. Does your response to Question 15 reflect an increase or decrease in comparison to the situation prior to cost recovery (April 1, 1998)?


Increase	Decrease	DK/Not sure

If INCREASE or DECREASE, please explain.
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

17. What types of work-related no-time-lost accidents tend not to require medical attention? (only those that are likely to occur in your department)
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

18. How many of each accident type listed above occurred in your department prior to April 1, 1998?
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

19. How many of each accident type listed above occurred in your department after the implementation of cost recovery (April 1, 1998)?
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

20. How much time lost on the job do you estimate each of these types of accidents to represent? (Time lost could include such things as getting medical supplies from the first-aid kit, disruption of the workplace, trips to the infirmary or hospital etc.)
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

Section 4 - Overall Impact of Cost Recovery

In this section, we would like your perceptions of how HRDC's Workers' Compensation Cost Recovery Program has impacted your department.

21. Overall, how do you feel cost recovery has impacted workplace safety within your department?


Increase	Decrease	DK/Not sure

22. Have there been any extraneous events (accidents, political events, etc.) that have resulted in your department's spending on WCB to exceed the allocated amount?


Yes	No	DK/Not sure

23. Has your department experienced an increase in the number of employees as a result of departmental reorganization since April 1, 1998? In particular, have parts of other departments been merged or moved to your department?


Yes	No	DK/Not sure

IF YES, please estimate the resulting increase in the number of employees within your department.
____________________________________________________________________

24. Has your department experienced a decrease in the number of employees as a result of departmental reorganization since April 1, 1998? In particular, have parts of your department been moved to another department?


Yes	No	DK/Not sure

IF YES, please estimate the resulting decrease in the number of employees within your department.
____________________________________________________________________

25. In your experience how is Injury on Duty Leave (IODL) related to Workers Compensation Benefits? Has the use of IODL changed since the implementation of cost recovery?
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

26. Do you have any other comments on HRDC's Workers' Compensation Cost Recovery Program that you would like to share with us at this time?
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

Thank you for your comments.


Name	Department	Title
Marcel Beauchamp	Agriculture and Agri-food Canada	Advisor, Health and Safety Section
Leon Page	Canada Customs and Revenue Agency	Manager, Occupational Safety and Health
Jamie Gaw	Canada Customs and Revenue Agency	Senior Occupational Safety and Health Policy and Technical Advisor
Denis Guitor	Canadian Food Inspection Agency	Manager, Occupational Safety and Health & EAP
Dick Hanson	Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency	Compensation & Benefits Officer, Administrative Division
Sharon McShane	Canadian Grain Commission	Chief Financial Officer
Sandy Haglass	Canadian Grain Commission
Anne Wallis	Citizenship and Immigration	Director, Staff Relations, Human Resources Branch Finance and?
Ginette Rousie	Citizenship and Immigration
Helene Francis	Clerk of the Senate	Director of Finance
Richard Ranger	Clerk of the Senate	Director Finance Directorate
Nicole Proulx	Clerk of the Senate	Manager Staff Relations
Helene Wittenburg	Correctional Services Canada	Project Officer, Employee Assistance, Safety and Health
Linda Davidson	Correctional Services Canada
Colette Lauzon	Department of National Defence	Director, Civilian Compensation Services
Ron Day	Department of National Defence
Drew Heavens	Environment Canada	National Safety and Health Coordinator
Donnie Bricault	Fisheries and Oceans	Chief, Occupational Safety & Health
Eddy Reitberger	Health Canada	Director, Corporate Services Branch
Michel McGee	Heritage Canada	Chief Accounting Finance Branch
Sylvie Wagner	Heritage Canada
Carolyn Lemieux	Parks Canada	National Coordinator, Occupational Safety and Health
Lyne Huneault	House of Commons	Manager, Workplace Services
Robert St-Jean	Human Resources Development Canada	HRS/CSPC
Rachel MacLean	Human Resources Development Canada
Eric Daoust	Indian and Northern Affairs	Corporate Staff Relations Officer
Jocelyne Pothier	Industry Canada	Departmental Occupational Health and Safety Officer
Brian Braceland	National Research Council of Canada	Manager: Occupational Safety and Health
Barbara Chartrand	Natural Resources Canada	Corporate Environment, Health and Safety
Pierre Marinier	Public Works and Government Services Canada	National Coordinator Case and claims Management
Adelle Slegtenhorst	Royal Canadian Mounted Police	PS Staff Relations Branch
Sandy McIntosh	Solicitor General	Director, Finance
Michel Gravel	Solicitor General
Heather Pearl	Statistics Canada	Occupational Health Officer
José Derickx	Transport Canada	Acting Director, Staff Relations & OSH Policy
Patrick Fitch	Transport Canada	Occupational Safety and Health and Loss Officer
Gordon Lavoie	Veteran's Affairs Canada	Departmental Safety & Health Officer
Gilles Lepage	Veteran's Affairs Canada

Last Modified: 2003-01-17	Important Notices