Governor Donald L. Carcieri and Department of Labor and Training Director
Adelita S. Orefice announced Wednesday the results of the Rhode Island Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) Task Force report.
In October 2004, Orefice brought together members of the Department of Labor and Training (DLT), the medical community and employers to review the TDI Program. The last review had been conducted more than two decades prior and some misconceptions had arisen regarding the TDI system and benefits during that period.
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There was a perception that some employees, employers, and medical providers might be overtly or unknowingly abusing TDI rules and benefits. According to the Task Force research findings, this perception was unfounded.
“The purpose of the task force is to review and analyze the TDI system to identify strengths and weaknesses, explore opportunities for improvement, and make recommendations to enhance and enrich the efficiency of the TDI Program,” explained Orefice, in a statement.
In a statement, the governor said: “The TDI Task Force has aligned the interests of the worker, the employer, and the medical community. The results are impressive.”
The comprehensive, independent research project was initiated in early 2004. Ten years of TDI data (1993-2002) was analyzed and the data sample included over 600,000 claims. The focus of the study was to identify trends in key areas of the program: customer population, usage of most common diagnoses duration and how Rhode Island TDI program compares with similar programs in other states.
The study found that overall Rhode Island’s TDI program is an effective safety net and a model program. It revealed some areas that warranted further study:
• Pockets of high frequency users/high frequency certifiers.
• Higher than average TDI usage in a few industries/sectors.
• High concentration of claims in certain medical diagnoses.
• Durations longer than recommended by medical duration guidelines.
As a result of their findings, the Task Force recommended the following improvements to the TDI program, some of which have already been implemented:
• Legislation allowing the payment of partial TDI benefits for light duty/partial return to work has been signed into law and commences January 1, 2006.
• A Claims Management Unit, which consists of two Registered Nurses, has been established.
Nurses will review and manage difficult TDI claims. Claims Management staff will educate claimants, employers, and physicians on their roles, responsibilities, and the purpose and operation of TDI.
• TDI purchased software to establish unified medical certification guidelines.
• The impartial medical examination process has been improved. The fee schedule has been revised. TDI has increased the number of qualified health care providers conducting impartial exams. Decisions to customers are now faster because examiners are required to submit their findings to TDI within twenty-four hours of the impartial exam.
