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Yuba City Council approves Ready Rebound contract to speed workers'‑comp care for first responders
Summary
The council adopted a three‑year, $184,000 agreement with Ready Rebound to provide care navigation and faster sports‑medicine access for police, fire and eligible retirees, a voluntary benefit city leaders say will shorten claim timelines and reduce overtime costs.
The Yuba City Council voted to authorize an agreement with Ready Rebound to provide a concierge care‑navigation service for first responders and eligible dependents and retirees.
Human resources manager Shalene Losa told the council Ready Rebound “is an organization specializing in providing structured support to first responders recovering from an industrial or nonindustrial injury. This is a voluntary benefit that would be available to employees, their dependents, and retirees.” She said the program connects injured workers to certified personal trainers and faster specialty care and that Ready Rebound “helps first responders return to duty on an average of 9 to 12 weeks faster than the traditional recovery process.”
Interim city manager Robert Bendorf gave the council the fiscal details, saying the contract total is “about 184,000 over a period of 3 years.” Bendorf said city staff examined overtime costs tied to workers'‑comp absences and presented five‑year data showing 108 workers'‑comp claims between police and fire, with an average total incurred cost of about $38,000 and an average case open time of 248 days. He told the council the program is intended to speed diagnosis and treatment and reduce long absence times and related overtime costs.
Ready Rebound representative Eric Arhart told the council the service coordinates appointments, finds sports‑medicine specialists and stays with a member through the care process. “There is no impact to them at all,” Arhart said in response to a council question about financial effects on employees, explaining the service helps members use their existing insurance or work‑comp coverage but that Ready Rebound itself is provided by the contracted program at no additional cost to employees.
During a council question period, Arhart said nationwide Ready Rebound customers typically see a “30 to 40% reduction in time” out of service, a figure he described as an average across the program’s clients. City staff and department chiefs present told the council they had local cases they believed could have returned sooner with faster access to specialty care.
The council adopted a resolution authorizing the interim city manager to finalize and execute the agreement. Council member Kirchner made the motion and Council member Pasquale seconded; the council approved the measure by voice vote (Mayor Dave Shaw: “Ayes have it. Motion carries.”).
The program is voluntary for employees. City staff said they will integrate Ready Rebound with the city’s existing workers'‑comp third‑party administrator and that the service can be used for recent or older claims and for on‑ or off‑duty injuries when appropriate. Implementation details, provider network specifics and performance metrics were discussed as follow‑up items to be handled by staff and the vendor.
The contract was presented to the council as a way to improve employee outcomes and potentially reduce overtime and long‑term claim costs; city staff did not promise specific guaranteed savings in the meeting, saying only that shorter claim durations and quicker treatment were the expected benefits.
