A short-term evaluation of vocational rehabilitation (VR) may give conclusions not automatically applicable over a longer term. The present study follows up alterations in work resumption or in social insurance benefits from the time of completed VR and during the following two years.
Aim: The primary objective was to evaluate work resumption among previous sick-leavers granted vocational rehabilitation. The aim of the follow-up was to assess the stability of the outcome of VR over time and to analyse factors of importance for clients that remained at work.
Method: A register investigation was based on 815 cases where the clients had taken part in vocational rehabilitation and were served by one of six local social insurance offices of a Swedish county.
Results: Of the clients studied, 52.4% had attained full working capacity The proportion had decreased to 37.4% two years later. One factor that differed between those who resumed work and those who returned to sick leave was the duration of the previous sick-leave period. Those who returned to work had had shorter sick leave, had jobs to return to and had received job training as a vocational rehabilitation measure.
Conclusions: The clients with the best chances of being in work two years after completed vocational rehabilitation were those with short sickness absence, who had been selected for job training as a vocational rehabilitation, were aged 16-29 years and were employed in industry.