Work resumption after vocational rehabilitation: A follow-up two years after completed rehabilitation

TLDR

Short‑term evaluations of vocational rehabilitation may not predict long‑term outcomes. The study aims to evaluate work resumption among former sick‑leavers who received vocational rehabilitation. The authors conducted a register‑based follow‑up of 815 VR participants over two years, tracking work resumption and social insurance benefits. Full working capacity dropped from 52.4 % at completion to 37.4 % after two years, with higher long‑term work rates among those with shorter prior sick leave, job training, younger age, and industry employment.

Abstract

A short-term evaluation of vocational rehabilitation (VR) may give conclusions not automatically applicable over a longer term. The present study follows up alterations in work resumption or in social insurance benefits from the time of completed VR and during the following two years.The primary objective was to evaluate work resumption among previous sick-leavers granted vocational rehabilitation. The aim of the follow-up was to assess the stability of the outcome of VR over time and to analyse factors of importance for clients that remained at work.A register investigation was based on 815 cases where the clients had taken part in vocational rehabilitation and were served by one of six local social insurance offices of a Swedish county.Of the clients studied, 52.4% had attained full working capacity The proportion had decreased to 37.4% two years later. One factor that differed between those who resumed work and those who returned to sick leave was the duration of the previous sick-leave period. Those who returned to work had had shorter sick leave, had jobs to return to and had received job training as a vocational rehabilitation measure.The clients with the best chances of being in work two years after completed vocational rehabilitation were those with short sickness absence, who had been selected for job training as a vocational rehabilitation, were aged 16-29 years and were employed in industry.