Return-to-Work Advisor
About The Position
The Return-to-Work Advisor provides high-level advocacy, coordination, and consultative support for associates navigating work-related injuries. Using extensive knowledge of the workers' compensation (WC), ADA, FMLA, disability programs, and Lowe's operations, this role ensures injured associates receive clear guidance, timely support, and equitable return-to-work (RTW) opportunities. The RTW Advisor manages escalated cases, facilitates temporary transitional duty placement, resolves complex benefit matters, and supports field leadership in navigating WC-related compliance issues. This role requires independent decision-making, strong communication skills, and the ability to collaborate effectively across Sedgwick, HR, medical case management, store leadership, and internal partners.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in business, HR, risk management or related field or equivalent years of experience in lieu of education requirement, if applicable
- 5 years of general experience with at least 3 years in workers’ compensation, RTW programs, disability/leave administration, or HR compliance
- Experience managing complex multi-state WC or RTW cases
- Strong communication, documentation, and case-coordination skills
Nice To Haves
- Experience with ODG guidelines, Workday, and Sedgwick systems
- Experience supporting a high-volume, multi-location organization
- CDMS - Certified Disability Management Specialist or coursework/certification in workers’ compensation or ADA compliance
Responsibilities
- Serve as the primary contact for escalated or complex associate issues requiring WC, ADA, FMLA or disability guidance.
- Provide immediate advocacy to newly out-of-work associates, identifying obstacles, and partnering with Sedgwick to resolve.
- Conduct WFA critical transition reviews at required intervals (60/90, 120, 240-day triggers).
- Deliver clear and empathetic communication throughout the claim lifecycle to reduce anxiety and encourage engagement.
- Manage alternative RTW referrals, placements, and Workday coding to reduce leakage.
- Intervene in RTW non-compliance cases, declined placements, or temporary duty terminations.
- Prepare temporary transitional duty letters and bona fide job offers for escalated matters.
- Partner with store operations, HR business partners, and nurse case managers to develop sustainable RTW plans.
- Coordinate RTW for out-of-state associates to ensure policy compliance and continuity.
- Collaborate with Sedgwick nurse case managers to resolve workflow issues and prevent treatment delays.
- Identify and escalate red flags, delays, or potential litigation risks.
- Respond to state WC agency inquiries and resolve escalated associate concerns.
- Resolve disputes related to medical treatment, scheduling, or service delivery.
- Provide guidance on WC, ADA, FMLA, and disability overlaps.
- Advise store leadership on temporary duty compliance.
- Consult on complex issues affecting RTW placements.
- Resolve no-pay escalations from nonprofit placement partners.
- Maintain dashboards tracking escalations, RTW compliance, temporary duty utilization, and cost impacts.
- Review ODG and NJWR compliance to identify workflow gaps.
- Provide insights to support continuous process refinement and program improvement.
- Monitor vendor performance and escalate service delivery issues as required.
Benefits
- For information regarding our benefit programs and eligibility, please visit our benefits page.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
