Initial return to work and long‐term employment patterns: Associations with work‐related permanent impairment and with participation in workers' compensation‐based return‐to‐work programs

Background Roughly 10% of injured workers experience work injuries that result in permanent impairment and a permanent partial disability (PPD) award. This study aimed to characterize and quantify long‐term employment outcomes for injured workers, by the degree of whole body impairment (WBI) and by participation in several workers' compensation (WC)‐based return‐to‐work (RTW) programs. Methods A retrospective cohort of 43,968 Washington State workers were followed for up to 10 years after WC claim closure (2009–2017). Degree of impairment was classified as: (1) no PPD award, (2) PPD award with WBI