Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Disability Management Consultant

🎯 Role Definition

The Disability Management Consultant is responsible for managing complex disability and absence cases from initial intake through safe, sustainable return-to-work (RTW). This role combines clinical/rehabilitation expertise and HR knowledge to coordinate medical assessments, workplace accommodations, workers' compensation claims, vocational rehabilitation and stakeholder engagement. The ideal candidate is a strategic case manager who reduces disability duration and cost, ensures legislative compliance (ADA, FMLA, WSIB/AODA where applicable), and partners with managers, unions, external healthcare providers and insurers to deliver best-in-class disability programs.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Occupational Health Nurse, Registered Nurse (RN) with case management experience
Rehabilitation Counsellor or Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist
HR Generalist / Absence Management Coordinator

Advancement To:

Senior Disability Management Consultant / Case Management Lead
Manager / Director, Occupational Health & Disability Services
Director, Health, Safety & Return-to-Work Programs

Lateral Moves:

Workers’ Compensation / Claims Specialist
Return-to-Work (RTW) Program Coordinator
Occupational Health and Safety Advisor

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead end-to-end case management for employees on short- and long-term disability, coordinating medical information, functional assessments, and individualized return-to-work (RTW) plans that balance clinical recommendations with operational requirements.
Conduct comprehensive intake interviews and psychosocial assessments to identify barriers to recovery, determine work readiness, and establish measurable RTW milestones with timelines.
Develop, document and implement workplace accommodation plans in collaboration with managers, union representatives, and treating clinicians to facilitate modified duties, graduated RTW and ergonomic adjustments.
Act as the primary liaison with treating physicians, rehabilitation providers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and mental health professionals to clarify medical restrictions, obtain functional capacity information and negotiate evidence-based workplace solutions.
Manage and adjudicate workers’ compensation and disability benefit claims by gathering supporting medical documentation, completing forms, communicating with insurers/third-party administrators and ensuring timely, compliant submissions.
Conduct and coordinate Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs), ergonomic assessments and job analyses to validate physical/functional demands and match limitations to suitable workplace tasks.
Provide vocational rehabilitation and return-to-work navigation, including job redeployment, retraining recommendations, transitional work assignments and linkage to community-based supports when required.
Monitor case progress using case management systems and HRIS; update case plans, maintain accurate confidential records and produce timely case notes, status summaries and medical-release tracking.
Design, implement and review return-to-work policies, absence management protocols and escalation pathways to standardize processes and improve outcomes across business units.
Deliver high-quality consultative advice and training to managers and front-line supervisors on disability prevention, early intervention, accommodation best practices and manager responsibilities to reduce duration of absence.
Perform medical record reviews and clinical file audits to ensure consistency with organizational policies, privacy legislation and insurer requirements; recommend corrective actions as needed.
Analyze disability metrics and program KPIs (duration of disability, RTW success rate, costs, accommodation turnaround time) and prepare executive summaries with actionable insights to optimize program performance.
Coordinate complex multi-stakeholder case conferences and stay interviews, facilitating consensus on RTW plans, accommodation feasibility, and next steps while maintaining employee dignity and confidentiality.
Provide crisis intervention and short-term mental health support navigation for employees experiencing psychological injury, workplace trauma or significant mental health-related absence, including referral to Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) and external resources.
Manage vendor relationships with occupational health providers, vocational rehabilitation agencies, ergonomic consultants and third-party administrators to ensure quality outcomes and contractual performance.
Ensure compliance with applicable legislation and standards (e.g., ADA, FMLA, provincial workers’ compensation Acts, AODA) by advising HR and legal partners and updating procedures accordingly.
Prepare and present case briefings and medical-legal summaries to internal legal partners, insurers or external counsel when required for complex or litigated claims.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives, including process mapping, root cause analysis and implementation of best practices for absence prevention, early intervention and workplace accommodations.
Provide coaching and mentoring to junior disability advisors and case managers, setting performance expectations and supporting professional development.
Manage confidential PHI/PII in accordance with privacy legislation and organizational security standards; ensure secure documentation and restricted access to sensitive medical information.
Participate in corporate disability program budgeting, cost forecasting and return-on-investment (ROI) analyses, recommending strategies to reduce long-term disability costs and improve productivity.
Support union negotiations and collective agreement interpretation relevant to disability accommodation, modified duties and seniority issues, working collaboratively with labour relations and union representatives.

Secondary Functions

Develop and deliver training modules, manager guides and quick-reference tools on effective accommodation, early intervention and return-to-work processes.
Support ad-hoc program evaluation projects, including pilot programs for modified work initiatives, mental health accommodations and ergonomic interventions.
Contribute to stakeholder communications and change management activities when rolling out new absence management systems or processes.
Collaborate with HRIS and analytics teams to improve data integrity, automate reporting and create dashboards tracking disability program metrics.
Assist in responding to regulatory audits, insurer reviews and external compliance assessments related to occupational health and disability practices.
Participate in cross-functional projects such as health promotion, injury prevention, and workplace safety initiatives that reduce disability incidence.
Research and recommend evidence-based rehabilitation approaches, tele-rehabilitation options and alternative care models to improve return-to-work outcomes.
Support business continuity planning by identifying critical roles affected by long-term absence and proposing temporary coverage strategies.
Facilitate employee-focused communications regarding benefits navigation, claim procedures and privacy protections to improve transparency and trust.
Contribute to cost-containment strategies through early intervention, medical cost reviews and appropriate utilization of external vendor services.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Disability case management and clinical assessment (experience with short- and long-term disability).
Return-to-work (RTW) plan development and workplace accommodation design.
Working knowledge of workers’ compensation systems, claim adjudication and insurer/TPA processes.
Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) coordination and interpretation; ergonomic/job task analysis.
Familiarity with federal and provincial legislation (ADA, FMLA, WSIB, AODA or local equivalents) and privacy legislation (HIPAA/PIPEDA).
Vocational rehabilitation planning and experience with job placement/retraining strategies.
Proficiency with HRIS, case management systems and MS Office (Excel for KPI analysis and reporting).
Medical terminology fluency and ability to translate clinical information into workplace action plans.
Experience managing external vendor contracts (occupational health clinics, rehab vendors, physiotherapy).
Data analysis and reporting: KPI development, dashboarding and executive-level program summaries.
Knowledge of mental health accommodations, return-to-work approaches for psychological injury and EAP coordination.
Familiarity with telehealth, virtual assessments and remote accommodation strategies.

Soft Skills

Strong interpersonal communication and stakeholder engagement skills with managers, unions, clinicians and employees.
Empathy, emotional intelligence and the ability to maintain confidentiality and trust with employees experiencing disability.
Excellent negotiation and conflict resolution skills to balance employee needs and operational requirements.
Critical thinking and problem-solving aptitude to design creative, sustainable accommodation solutions.
Time management and caseload prioritization with consistent attention to detail and documentation.
Coaching and mentoring ability to upskill managers and junior consultants.
Resilience, adaptability and ability to manage complex, sensitive cases under pressure.
Cultural competence and inclusivity in assessing accommodation needs across diverse workforces.
Change management skills to support new processes, systems and policy rollouts.
Strong presentation skills for training, stakeholder briefings and executive reporting.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Kinesiology, Rehabilitation Counselling, Social Work, Human Resources or a related clinical/health discipline.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree plus professional certification (e.g., Certified Case Manager (CCM), Registered Rehabilitation Professional, CRC).
Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counselling, Occupational Health, Public Health, or related field is an asset.
Clinical licenses where required (e.g., RN, OT) and continuing education in disability/RTW practices.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Occupational Health, Rehabilitation or Allied Health
Nursing or Occupational Therapy
Human Resources and Labour Relations
Vocational Rehabilitation

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–7 years of progressive case management or disability/occupational health experience; OR 5+ years for senior-level roles.

Preferred:

5+ years managing complex disability cases, workers’ compensation claims and return-to-work programs.
Experience working in unionized environments, with collective agreements and labour relations processes.
Proven track record of improving RTW outcomes, reducing disability duration and controlling program costs.
Experience with program design, metrics reporting and leading cross-functional case conferences.