A return to work plan is a legal obligation, not a formality — and it's rarely a one-time document. As capacity changes and the treating team updates their recommendations, the plan needs to keep pace. We draft, manage, and review RTW plans so employers stay compliant and the employee has a realistic pathway back to work.
Under Victorian WorkCover legislation, employers must provide suitable employment to an injured worker wherever it's reasonably practicable to do so, and must have an active return to work plan in place once a claim is accepted. On paper this sounds straightforward. In practice, it's one of the most frequently mismanaged obligations in the entire claims process — not because employers are careless, but because the plan has to keep responding to a moving target: updated medical certificates, evolving capacity, and an insurer watching for whether the employer is genuinely engaging with the process.
Capacity Group manages RTW plans end-to-end for Victorian employers — from the initial draft through to ongoing monthly reviews as capacity changes. We work directly with the treating practitioner's certificate of capacity, coordinate with occupational rehabilitation providers where one is involved, and keep documentation aligned with what the insurer expects to see. The goal is a plan that's both genuinely workable for the business and defensible if the claim is ever scrutinised.
Suitable duties aren't just whatever light work happens to be available — they need to reflect the certified capacity, be meaningful rather than token, and be genuinely available within the business. Employers who can't identify suitable duties still need to demonstrate they made a real attempt to find them; a poorly documented "we had nothing suitable" is one of the most common friction points later in a disputed claim.
Especially for psychological and complex physical injury claims, capacity can shift every few weeks as treatment progresses. A plan that isn't reviewed in step with updated certificates quickly falls out of compliance — and insurers notice. Ongoing review is where most in-house RTW management breaks down, simply because it competes with the rest of an HR or operations role for time and attention.
We start with the latest certificate of capacity and claim documentation.
Working with you to find meaningful, available work matched to certified capacity.
Documented to the standard the insurer and treating practitioner expect.
Insurer, treating GP or psychologist, and occupational rehabilitation provider, kept aligned.
Plan updated as capacity changes, so it stays compliant and workable until resolution.
Plans that meet your legal obligations and hold up if the claim is ever disputed.
Well-documented, timely plans reduce the back-and-forth that stalls claims.
Ongoing review handled for you instead of competing with your day-to-day role.
A realistic, well-matched plan supports genuine recovery and return to work.
Submit your claim details and we'll respond within 24 hours with a clear plan for what's needed.
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