Audit and Assessment Tools Available

Briefly:

Audit and assessment tools available:

Consensus Based Disability Management Audit (CBDMA)
Workplace Disability Management Assessment (WDMA)

The CBDMA is a comprehensive audit consisting of 180 questions comprised of consensus questions, evidence questions, and survey questions. The final audit report identifies program strengths, gaps in the program, and a detailed roadmap for the development and implementation or the improvement of an effective disability management program. For further details, please view the following webpage: https://www.nidmar.ca/audit/audit_auditing/auditing_cbdma.asp

The WDMA is a condensed version of the CBDMA, containing 72 questions completed through an interview process requiring less time and resources to complete, which provides a gap analysis of a current program and provides a roadmap for program improvement and/or program development. For further details, please view the following webpage: https://www.nidmar.ca/audit/audit_auditing/auditing_wdma.asp

Background:

Disability Management strategies targeted at the effective and safe reintegration of injured and ill workers have demonstrated significant benefit in measurably reducing the economic and social costs of disabilities on employers, workers, insurance and rehabilitation providers, and government.

National and international research has identified the key success factors in the effective implementation of these return to work and disability management strategies which will consistently produce positive measurable economic and social outcomes across a broad range of organizational settings and jurisdictional boundaries.

Research, as well as operational models in Canada, Europe, the United States and Australia, identified the need for a reliable, psychometrically defensible and transferable disability management program assessment tool designed to offer an accurate current snapshot of any workplace disability management program in addition to optimum program improvement opportunities.

In response to this demand, as well as in concert with the development of an international Code of Practice for Disability Management, NIDMAR, with support from the Government of Canada and in collaboration with a major cross section of large employers, unions and workers compensation boards, embarked on the development of a psychometrically stable, calibrated and scorable disability management program audit tool.

With development, testing and calibration expenditures exceeding $2.0 million by 2004, the Consensus Based Disability Management Audit (CBDMA) is today a highly regarded, web-enabled and well-researched tool that measures disability management program performance in a range of large and small workplace settings, both in the private and public sectors.

Benchmarking for Success:

Disability management practices are as varied as the organizations that implement disability management programs. Organizations wishing to maximize their return on investment in the practice of disability management now have tools at their disposal to help them measure their disability management program performance

The CBDMA and the WDMA are highly regarded and well-researched tools that can be used by organizations as:

An evaluation tool, to determine current disability management program performance
A monitoring tool, when administered at regular intervals, to reveal relative increases or decreases in effectiveness for each audit area measured
A corrective tool, to establish where program deficiencies are, highlighting remedial actions required
A program promotion tool, maintaining disability management concepts in worker consciousness, and demonstrating management's commitment to workplace disability management practices
A disability management premium pricing rate setting tool, providing incentives for employers, which encourages adoption of optimum disability management practices designed to reduce costs and disability claims duration as well as lower incidences of long-term disability
A conformity assessment tool, to determine if an organization qualifies for International Disability Management Standards Council® (IDMSC®) certification

What are the benefits of the CBDMA and the WDMA?

The CBDMA and WDMA provide an organization with a number of important benefits including:

Providing the tools to comply with duty to accommodate legislation
Reducing the number of days lost due to injuries and illness
Reducing costs associated with short and long term disability assessment rates
Reducing workers compensation assessment rates
Provides the basis of cooperation between management and labour by using the consensus based approach

What do the CBDMA and WDMA do?

The Program Standards were designed to:

Establish a minimum acceptable benchmark for disability management programs in the workplace.
Identify opportunities for disability management program improvement.
Encourage the adoption of best practices in disability management.

What happens during the CBDMA and WDMA process?

All audits and assessments are completed by Certified CBDMA Auditors. In order to become a Certified Auditor, an individual must be experienced in the field of disability management, hold a valid Certified Disability Management Professional (CDMP) certification designation, take extensive training in the use of the online audit and assessment tools, and pass a comprehensive examination.

The Certified Auditor works with the organization to develop a timeline for the administration of the audit or assessment.

The Certified Auditor will obtain detailed information about the disability management program and enter the data gathered into the online tool which produces a standardized score and a written report explaining the results.

For further details on how the CBDMA and WDMA are administered, please go to the applicable webpage. Links are provided as follows: