By Rovaryn Digital · 8 min read
How to Use This Hub
A transitional duty program runs on documents. The offer letter establishes the legal standing of the modified assignment. The approved job description is what the attending physician signs. The restriction-intake form captures what the provider actually cleared. The tracking workbook records every day worked and every accommodation change. When a state-program reimbursement application lands on your desk — or when a carrier audits the file — those documents are either there or they are not.
This hub is the single collection point for every return-to-work template and tool published on this site. It is organized by function: start with the piece your current case needs, or work through the full sequence when you are building a program from the ground up. Each section links to a detailed guide explaining when and how to use the template, what each field must contain, and what goes wrong when it is missing.
If you want every template in a single download rather than picking them up one at a time, the RTW Program Kit — Complete bundles the full library.
The Core Document Sequence
A transitional duty case moves through a predictable sequence of documents. The tools below correspond to each stage, in the order you will typically need them.
1. Program Policy
Before a case opens, a written RTW program policy tells supervisors, injured workers, and carriers that transitional duty is a standard business practice — not a one-off favor. A policy template should cover: the program's purpose and scope, which positions are covered, how job descriptions are developed and maintained, who holds signing authority for offers, and how compliance with the program is monitored.
The RTW Program Policy Template guide walks through each section and explains the language choices that matter for carrier audits and ADA consistency reviews.
2. Job Demands and Essential Functions Analysis
A modified-duty assignment is only valid if you know what the original job actually requires. An essential functions analysis captures the physical and cognitive demands of each position — lifting limits, repetitive-motion elements, sustained posture requirements, and the consequences of not performing each function — in a format a treating physician can read and approve or reject.
The Job Demands and Essential Functions guide covers what to document, how to measure and verify demands, and how to structure the analysis so it supports both the ADA interactive process and the transitional duty placement decision.
3. Restriction Intake
When a provider clears an injured worker for modified duty, the restrictions arrive in various forms: a DWC form, an L&I Activity Prescription Form, a handwritten provider note, or a brief phone message transcribed by a nurse case manager. Regardless of format, your intake process must capture the same set of data points — specific physical limits, approved hours and schedule, prohibited activities, the review date, and the provider's contact information.
Inconsistent restriction intake is one of the most common causes of ineligible days under state wage-reimbursement programs. If the duty assigned does not match the restrictions on file for that date, the reimbursement application is denied for those days.
The Restriction Intake Best Practices guide includes a standardized intake form and explains how to handle restrictions that arrive mid-week, change without notice, or conflict across providers.
4. Light-Duty Job Description
The light-duty job description is the document the attending physician reviews and approves — in writing — before a worker begins a modified assignment. It must describe the actual tasks in the transitional role, state the physical demands of those tasks, and match the restrictions on file. It is not the original position description with the heavy tasks crossed out; it is a purpose-built document for this specific assignment.
Under Washington's Stay-at-Work program, the attending provider must approve the transitional job description in writing, and the description submitted to L&I must match the hours and tasks actually worked. A day worked outside the approved job description or approved hours is ineligible for reimbursement.
The Light-Duty Job Description guide includes a fillable template and explains how to structure task descriptions so they are specific enough for a physician review and defensible in a reimbursement audit.
5. Modified Duty Offer Letter
Once a physician has approved a light-duty job description, the formal offer letter is the document that places the assignment on record. For a Bona Fide Offer of Employment (BFOE) under Texas DWC rules, the offer must be written and must meet the specific requirements of 28 TAC §129.6 — among other things, it must describe the position, state the wage, and be delivered in a manner that creates a record of presentation. A carrier can reduce or suspend indemnity benefits following a properly delivered offer that the worker refuses or fails to acknowledge.
Even in states without a formal BFOE framework, a written offer letter documents that a transitional assignment existed, that the worker was informed of it, and that the employer fulfilled its return-to-work obligation. It is one of the most consequential documents in the file.
The Modified Duty Offer Letter guide covers required elements, delivery methods, and how to handle counter-offers, physician modifications, and refusals — and includes a fillable letter template.
6. Case Tracking Workbook
A tracking workbook is the running record of the case: restriction versions, assignment dates, hours approved and worked, accommodation changes, provider contacts, and any reimbursement-relevant events. It is the source document for a state-program reimbursement application and the audit trail if the carrier questions case handling.
The Return-to-Work Case Management guide explains what to record, when to record it, and how to structure the workbook so the reimbursement application and any carrier audit can be assembled from it without reconstructing the timeline from memory.
Task Banks by Industry
A transitional duty assignment is only useful if there are real tasks to assign. A task bank is a pre-built list of modified-duty work options matched to common restriction profiles — organized by industry so a coordinator can find a viable match quickly when a physician's approval comes in on a Tuesday morning and a carrier is waiting.
The Transitional Duty Task Bank guide explains how to build, maintain, and use a task bank for your operation, and includes starter lists for the four industries where transitional duty programs are most active.
| Industry | Common restriction profiles | Example task categories |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | Lifting limits, repetitive grip, sustained standing | Quality inspection, parts counting, documentation review, training observation |
| Construction | Weight limits, climbing/ladder restrictions, vibrating tool restrictions | Safety monitoring, tool inventory, material staging assistance, foreman support |
| Healthcare | Patient-handling limits, prolonged standing, needle/sharps restrictions | Records review, scheduling support, supply management, staff orientation assistance |
| Warehousing / Transportation | Lifting/pushing/pulling limits, driving restrictions | Order verification, manifest review, dock coordination, training assistance |
The task categories above are illustrative starting points. Each operation's task bank must reflect actual available work in that facility or fleet, verified against current staffing needs and the specific restrictions on file for each case.
State-Program Reimbursement Documents
Three of the four state wage-reimbursement programs covered on this site require employer-generated supporting documents alongside the agency's own forms. The templates in this hub feed directly into those applications.
| State program | Key employer documents | What this hub provides |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Stay-at-Work | Approved light-duty job description, payroll records, application within 1 year of last light-duty day worked | Light-duty job description template, tracking workbook |
| Texas (BFOE) | Written offer letter meeting 28 TAC §129.6 | Modified duty offer letter template |
| Oregon EAIP | Wage records, worksite modification documentation | Tracking workbook, job description template |
| Ohio BWC Transitional Work | Transitional work plan, grant application | Job demands analysis, task bank |
Confirm current form versions, filing deadlines, and supporting-document requirements directly with the administering agency — WA L&I, TX DWC, OR WCD, and OH BWC — before submitting any application. Program rules and deadlines are subject to change.
Return-to-Work Templates: Full Index
The table below lists every template and tool available through this hub in a single reference. Use it when you need to locate a specific document quickly.
| Template / Tool | Primary use | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| RTW Program Policy | Program setup; carrier audit; new hire orientation | RTW Program Policy Template |
| Job Demands & Essential Functions Analysis | Pre-injury documentation; modified duty placement | Job Demands Guide |
| Restriction Intake Form | Capturing provider clearance for each case | Restriction Intake Best Practices |
| Light-Duty Job Description | Physician approval; state-program submission | Light-Duty Job Description Guide |
| Modified Duty Offer Letter | Formal transitional assignment; BFOE compliance | Modified Duty Offer Letter Guide |
| Case Tracking Workbook | Ongoing case record; reimbursement application basis | RTW Case Management Guide |
| Industry Task Banks (4 sectors) | Finding viable light-duty tasks quickly | Transitional Duty Task Bank Guide |
Get the Complete Kit
Each template above is available individually through its guide page. If you are standing up a program, handling more than a handful of active cases, or preparing for a carrier audit, the RTW Program Kit — Complete gives you every template, workbook, and task bank in a single download — pre-formatted, fillable, and coordinated so the data fields carry through from the restriction intake to the offer letter to the tracking workbook.
You can browse the full template catalog, including individual purchases, in the Tools & Templates Store.
The documents in the kit cover the employer-side documentation and tracking functions of a transitional duty program. They are not legal filings, not claims adjudication instruments, and not substitutes for the agency forms required by WA L&I, TX DWC, OR WCD, or OH BWC. Any compliance-sensitive document should be reviewed with qualified counsel or your state's workers' compensation authority before use.
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