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Yuba City council approves Ready Rebound contract to speed first‑responder recovery
Summary
The council authorized the interim city manager to finalize a three‑year Ready Rebound agreement (about $184,000 total) intended to accelerate medical diagnosis and return‑to‑work for police and fire personnel and reduce overtime costs tied to long workers'‑comp claims.
The Yuba City Council voted to authorize the interim city manager to finalize and execute a three‑year agreement with Ready Rebound, a concierge sports‑medicine navigation service that the city says will help injured first responders get faster diagnoses and treatment.
"The contract total with Ready Rebound, should your council approve it, it's about 184,000 over a period of 3 years," Interim City Manager Robert Bendorf told the council as he presented staff's recommendation.
Ready Rebound provides a single point of contact — a certified trainer/health‑care navigator — who assists injured employees in finding sports‑medicine specialists, scheduling diagnostics and following up through treatment. Human Resources staff described the benefit as voluntary for employees, their dependents and retirees; HR said the Ready Rebound service itself is provided at no additional cost to participating employees beyond normal insurance or workers'‑comp coverage.
Staff framed the contract as both an employee wellness measure and a potential cost‑saver. City data presented at the meeting show 108 workers'‑comp claims for police and fire over the past five years. Staff reported an average paid amount per claim of roughly $22,000, an average total incurred cost per claim near $38,000, and an average claim duration of about 248 days. City staff argued faster access to specialists could reduce time away from duty and cut overtime spending for shift coverage.
Interim City Manager Bendorf and HR staff said other public‑safety organizations have contracted with Ready Rebound; the presentation noted Cal Fire as a recent example. Eric Arhart, a Ready Rebound representative, told the council: "If your board approves this resolution, you're going to make such a meaningful impact on the lives of the men and women that serve this community."
During council questions, Ready Rebound representatives said the service can be used for injuries that occurred years earlier, can be integrated with the city's existing workers'‑comp third‑party administrator, and typically works to identify sports‑medicine providers in the injured employee's area. The vendor cited a nationwide track record of about a 30–40% reduction in time to return‑to‑work among customers and said the company often achieves a diagnosis and treatment path within days rather than months.
A motion to adopt the resolution authorizing the interim city manager to finalize and execute the agreement carried on a council voice vote. The motion was moved by Council member Wade Kirschner; a recorded second was not specified in the meeting record. The council's public record shows the motion carried with the mayor announcing "Ayes have it." No roll‑call vote tally was read aloud.
Staff noted the contract cost is roughly $184,000 over three years (a little over $60,000 per year) and said potential overtime savings from shorter claims would offset the contract cost if the program reduces leave durations even modestly. Implementation would involve HR, the city's third‑party workers'‑comp administrator and affected departments; HR emphasized the program is voluntary for employees.
The council's action authorizes the interim city manager to complete and sign the Ready Rebound agreement and begin implementation with HR and public‑safety leadership.
