The Worker Benefit Fund (WBF) is comprised of a tax assessment that employers report and pay quarterly along with their state withholding taxes, unemployment insurance tax, and certain transit taxes. Part of these funds are used to provide benefits to injured workers and their employers, including the Preferred Worker Program, and the Employer-at-Injury Program.

Preferred Worker Program (PWP) assistance is provided in accordance with OAR 436-110 to encourage re-employment of eligible Oregon workers. The employer at injury may request reemployment assistance and access Preferred Worker Program incentives for modified regular employment, or a new job offered to their worker. The program also provides a preferred worker with incentives that he or she may offer to the employer-at-injury or a new employer.

The Employer-at-Injury Program (EAIP) is a selection of benefits designed to encourage employers to develop, implement, and use transitional work programs to re-employ Oregon injured workers before the closure of a workers' compensation claim. Employer use of the EAIP is voluntary. Transitional work is light-duty work that an injured worker can perform while he or she transitions back to work following an on-the-job injury. The insurer responsible for the worker’s claim administers the Employer-at-Injury Program.

John sustained a severe low-back injury and could not return to his regular work as a sawyer, thereby becoming eligible for the Preferred Worker Program (PWP). John started his new job as a burn table operator with Carothers & Son Inc., a Eugene custom steel fabrication business. John told his new employer that he was a preferred worker and benefits were available; however, his employer, Rick Boatwright, was not interested at first.

One of the problems that John faced in his job duties involved handling steel sheets, which commonly were five feet by 10 inches and a half-inch thick. Although John used a jib crane, the task still required forceful maneuvering of the load because the crane was not designed to work with the burn table. The crane's location was so the fabricators could offload steel supply from trucks. The crane boom reach was insufficient, requiring John to forcefully push and pull the steel plates onto the burn table. This duty requirement caused him low-back pain on a daily basis and exceeded his injury-caused permanent restrictions. After a period of time, John decided to pursue the PWP worksite modification assistance, even though he and his employer were both skeptical a "government program" would help them.

The successful worksite modification consisted of relocation of the burn table, a bridge crane and electric hoist to handle the steel sheets, and an ergonomic chair. Carothers & Son invested much in the cleanup and setup of the burn table relocation. The burn table relocation from the fabrication shop to the vacated paint shop proved invaluable in unexpected ways. John said not only is the space the perfect size for the table and crane, the new work space is cleaner and quieter. The crane allows John to lift the steel sheets and position them on the burn table without forceful maneuvering. Finally, the ergonomic chair replaced an unsupportive worn-out chair, and now, John can sit comfortably at his computer station.

The employer was thrilled with his PWP experience and the completed modification. Boatwright described his experience with the worksite modification process as efficient, timely, with no waste, and no bureaucracy. "It was great to experience my tax dollars being spent wisely," said Boatwright.

John said that even though he was skeptical at first, the modification could not have turned out any better. "My life is easier and less stressful," said John. "The program is truly a value for the employer, the worker, and the state. Now, I can go home after work and enjoy playing with my 10-year-old and 4-year-old without being in severe pain and grumpy because my back pain is much less.