Frequently Asked Questions
How can we learn more about the County’s mandatory Temporary Transitional Duty policy and procedure?
The policy is available online: Temporary Transitional Duty Policy
The procedure is available online: Program Procedure
Request a VHS or DVD copy of the training to share with your staff (24 minutes) by emailing hrweb@sonoma-county.org
Why is Risk Management collecting data on occupational and non-occupational injuries or illnesses?
Charged with oversight of the Temporary Transitional Duty (TTrD) program, Risk Management (RM) will periodically collect each department’s spreadsheets detailing their progress tracking employee injuries and illnesses. Risk Management is the direct County contact for all Temporary Transitional Duty issues, and will be accountable for submitting an annual report assessing the success of the policy’s implementation.
What is the Supervisor’s or Manager’s responsibility?
The department supervisor/manager’s responsibility is three fold—to monitor all employees’ work schedules; to notify the department designee that the department needs to begin tracking the employee’s time off once it reaches seven (7) days; and to assist in developing a temporary assignment. Because supervisors or managers are often the direct evaluator of the employee’s job responsibilities, including the employee’s schedule, they often know even before the seven-day period that the employee appears to have an injury or illness that will require a TTrD assignment. This enables them to start the process of collaborating with the employee to develop a TTrD assignment, and to clarify and solidify tasks upon receipt of physician restrictions.
What is the Employee’s responsibility?
The employee’s responsibility is to be aware that the TTrD policy exists to refer to in case they are ever off work for an occupational or non-occupational injury or illness. As soon as an injury or illness occurs—whether on or off the job—the employee needs to be in touch with their supervisor, keeping them aware of the status of their injury or illness. The employee is under no obligation to disclose medical information they wish to keep private, but they do need to provide physician restrictions if their injury or illness temporarily affects their ability to perform their job functions.
Upon receipt of physician restrictions, the employee must immediately give their physician restrictions to their supervisor or department designee. The employee should then start collaborating with their management to develop a TTrD assignment. It is in the County’s and the employee’s best interest to remain working, if at all possible.
What if employee doesn’t like the Temporary Transitional Duty assignment?
Ideally the department will collaborate with the employee to develop an assignment. Regardless of whether the employee likes the assignment, or not, it is expected the employee will fulfill the assignment. If the employee refuses to work the assignment, it is possible their benefits will be affected.
If the transitional duty assignment is fewer hours than the employee’s full-duty assignment, how does the employee make up their loss of wages?
An employee may be eligible for wage loss benefits:
- In Workers’ Compensation cases, wage loss benefits are calculated based upon set rates.
Contact: Northern Claims Management, (707) 575-8887 - In the case of short-term disability, contact Union Insurance Services.
Contact: Dublin Insurance, (800) 824-3316 - In the case of long-term disability (LTD), most County employees should contact Standard Insurance to find out if they are eligible for wage loss benefits; safety employees should contact PORAC.
Contact: Standard Insurance, (800) 368-1135 Contact: PORAC, (800) 995-1099 - As a last case resort, employees can use their accrued sick hours to make up the difference for the hours they are not working.
- In Workers’ Compensation cases, wage loss benefits are calculated based upon set rates.
If an employee is hurt off the job, do they have to accept an assignment if one is available but they don’t want to work?
Yes. Regardless of whether an employee is injured on or off the job, their physician restrictions will determine whether they are able to work a transitional duty assignment. If the physician provides restrictions enabling the employee to work, and the department has created a TTrD assignment, the employee is expected to work the assignment.
Why doesn’t this policy include probationary employees?
Probationary employees are excluded from participating in the TTrD program because management is required to use the entire probationary period to assess the employee’s ability to undertake the tasks they were hired to perform.
Why can’t we provide a TTrD assignment for extra-help employees? What if the extra-help employee has a minor injury, they can still do the work with minimal modifications, and we need them to do the work?
Many extra-help employees who are unable to perform the main functions of their position are not eligible to participate in the TTrD program. Please discuss all extra-help employee issues, on a case-by-case basis, with Risk Management.
What do we do with our employees who have already reached the 365-day max for occupational injuries or illness?
The TTrD policy specifically prohibits the continuation of any temporary work assignment over 365 days. There are a few cases of employees who have been on temporary transitional duty assignments for more than one calendar year. These assignments began before this policy came into affect. Risk Management will work with the management of these employees to determine how to best facilitate the employee’s return to full duty.
How about employees who are approaching the 180-day max for non-occupational injuries or illness?
For all non-occupational injuries or illness, the policy clearly states that an extension past 180-days must have the review and approval of the HR Director, and will only be considered when three factors are met. First, the department and employee both request an extension; secondly, the employee has demonstrated progress in transitioning back to the regular assignment, and finally, the extension is for a specific, short period of time with a date certain for return. In this case, the employee must provide documentation from the physician indicating the employee will be cleared to return to work in their regular assignment on the date the extension will end.
How stringent are the time frames mentioned throughout the training? Are these day limits actually in the policy?
While not all of the time frames mentioned throughout the procedure are included in the actual policy, they were called out in the procedure. These time frames are meant to serve as guidelines, not firm, unforgiving deadlines. The reason these guidelines are included is to accentuate the importance of acquiring restrictions, developing the assignment, and starting the employee in their temporary assignment as soon as possible. The guidelines serve to act as a reasonable timing tool, and stress the importance for management to monitor the timing of the assignment process.
Can a Department contact the physician directly if they don’t understand the physician’s restrictions?
The department designee, manager, or supervisor should not contact a physician directly. Please contact Risk Management to intercede on your behalf. The employee has a right to protect their medical information, and direct departmental contact with a physician may infringe upon the employee’s rights.
What do we do if the physician provides the employee a letter stating the employee can’t work at all, and the Department thinks we have a safe assignment available for the employee?
The department designee should contact Risk Management if for any reason a physician provides restrictions forbidding an employee to return to work. The department should not contact the physician directly. RM will follow-up with the physician to discuss the employee’s limitations, and ideally obtain specific, detailed restrictions that will permit the employee to return to work.
Do you need a release from the treating physician for an assignment to end?
Not necessarily. An assignment can also end if the needs of the department change, or if the employee is not acting in accordance with their restriction. All assignments will automatically terminate at the end of the approved assignment unless an extension has been requested and approved per the parameters of the policy.
Are Departments supposed to track why an employee can’t be placed?
Yes, the department designee is responsible for tracking why the department can’t place an employee in an assignment. The department must track all employees who are losing time from an injury or illness or have been given temporary work restrictions. It is important to note on the tracking page, in the comments section, why the employee cannot be placed. This is information that will be used to explain this policy’s success, or lack of. It will also serve to assist us all in working even more collaboratively in the future.
Supervisors must identify employees who have been off work for 7 days. Is this calendar days or working days?
This time requirement indicated in the procedure and training slides refers to seven (7) calendar days. If the supervisor knows the employee will be off work more than seven days, they are to immediately start working together to develop the assignment. An early start will help the department place the employee in an assignment just as soon as their restrictions are received, and the TTrD assignment letter is signed by all parties.
Does the Department need to track TTrD if the employee doesn’t lose any time from work?
Yes. Tracking employees who have a temporary illness or injury, are placed in an assignment, and don’t lose time from work reflects that the County is tracking our successes! We absolutely want to document the hard work and diligence of the department designees in placing employees in appropriate TTrD assignments.