The New Service Delivery Model The WSIB is launching a New Service Delivery Model (NSDM) to improve return to work and recovery outcomes and assist in creating safer and healthier workplaces. The NSDM is a critical part of our Road to Zero (1.3mb, pdf) commitment and together with our Prevention Strategy (1mb, pdf) will accelerate our drive to zero workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses in Ontario. Breaking Through Barriers for Return to Work and Recovery Profound emotional, physical and economic losses are experienced when injured or ill workers have not yet returned to work and recovery. These losses are felt in the home, at the workplace, and throughout the community. Everyone benefits when workers return to work and recover as quickly as possible. Due to a number of complex issues, rates of return to work in Ontario have declined over the past 10 years. The WSIB is committed to turning this trend around through the future-focused NSDM -- a service delivery initiative that introduces new and redesigned jobs, better ways of working and technologies for improvements in prevention, return to work and recovery outcomes. This new approach to service excellence and financial sustainability builds on the knowledge and relationships we have developed with our workplace partners. It also reflects feedback from workers, employers, staff and best practices research. The NSDM ensures the right people provide the right service at the right time in the right way. New Roles Support Workers and Employers Workers and employers will benefit from the experience and expertise of frontline service delivery staff in new or redesigned roles with a more specialized focus: Eligibility Adjudicator determines eligibility upon receiving a claim for benefits; Case Manager concentrates on the opportunities and obstacles to return to work, determines ongoing benefits to be paid to the worker, and arranges and monitors Labour Market Re-entry services wherever and whenever needed; Nurse Consultant coordinates specific medical interventions and improved timelines aimed at resolving health care barriers and decides what health care services and benefits are allowable; Account Specialist and Account Analyst provide employers with access to dedicated revenue decision-making services within the Employer Service Centre; Return to Work Specialist facilitates return to work and case resolution at the workplace; Disability Prevention Specialist assists employers (in-house as needed) to build new or improved prevention, disability management and compliance programs and practices for their entire workplace. A Plan for Return to Work and Recovery Frontline service delivery staff will use a consistent and standardized case management approach to identifying, assessing and co-ordinating services required for eligibility decisions and to achieve return to work and recovery. The approach involves procedures to significantly reduce the time it takes for workers to receive key services such as eligibility decisions and access to health care and Labour Market Re-entry programs. A plan for return to work will be set in collaboration with all workplace parties at the outset of each case. Employers will have improved access to prevention and return to work services at the worksite. NSDM Launches in September 2008 The NSDM will be implemented in phases to minimize service disruption and ensure continuity of services. Ottawa will be the first to launch in September 2008 followed by Toronto and the regional offices completing our transition by mid 2009. In the coming months, our Occupational Disease, Serious Injury and Pre-1990 Programs will be implementing new service delivery models that incorporate the principles of the NSDM, but reflect the unique needs in these areas. Several NSDM Changes Already Initiated Several changes within the NSDM that streamline service delivery have already been initiated. Bringing together our revenue activities through the Employer Service Centre has already improved accessibility, consistency and decision-making on account issues for employers. A new eServices online subscription service allows employers and injured workers across the province to electronically submit their Form 7 and Form 6 report of injury or illness online. The Benefits to You We are proud of the improvements we’ve made in customer service over the past decade. The New Service Delivery Model continues on that path. In our commitment to provide a more efficient and standardized way of facilitating payment of benefits and prevention, return to work and recovery planning, this initiative will achieve better outcomes for workers and employers. We will continue to provide regular updates on NSDM developments.