Using Reminders To Expedite Claim Form Submission Among Injured Workers

For many workers who suffer an injury while on the job, submitting their workers' compensation claim (while also managing their recovery and return to work) is a difficult process to navigate (MacEachen et al., 2010). From the moment they report their injury until the time they receive a decision confirming their claim approval, weeks can go by in which no benefit or treatment are received. A key step and responsibility to help workers' claims move forward early on is the workers' timely submission of key documentation. However, due to barriers early in the process such as unclear communication, this requirement is often forgotten by many workers, which can delay a compensation decision, and in turn, prolong time off work. The current research tested a behavioural insights approach, in the form of simple reminders to motivate workers' timely submission of their release form. We employed a 4-arm randomized controlled trial comparing a control condition, a simple text message (SMS), a simple email, and an SMS followed by an email. The results revealed that all types of reminders were effective in improving timely submission of the release form. Moreover, injured workers were significantly more likely to submit the form within 7 days when receiving the simple email reminder than when receiving the simple SMS. Going forward, we recommend that other workers' compensation boards explore the usage of simple reminders in this and other areas of the claim process to improve worker empowerment, and in the long term, return-to-work outcomes.