What this is
What is a case progress review?
What is a case progress review?
A case progress review is a periodic check on an open occupational health case, taken as a whole: where the worker's condition and work status stand, whether the claim is moving, whether the employer side is being delivered, and whether the case still tracks to its expected timeline.
How is this different from a Return to Work Progress Review?
A case progress review looks at the case broadly: is it still going where it was expected to go. A Return to Work Progress Review is narrower and only runs once a worker is already back in some capacity, checking a specific graduated or modified plan against its own milestones. A case can be reviewed under HLT-019 with no return plan running, for example while still off and awaiting treatment.
Who carries out a case progress review?
Occupational health, working with the supervisor. Occupational health holds the clinical and claim picture; the supervisor holds the workplace picture, including whether modified duties are actually available. Neither view alone is sufficient.
Scope
When is a case progress review required?
This review is one step in a larger Return to Work programme, and it is the whole-case instrument within it. Using it in place of the plan-specific or closure-specific templates produces records that report on the wrong thing.
Use this template when
- An occupational health case is open and has reached its review interval
- A trigger event has occurred that could change the case's trajectory: a new medical opinion, a claim update, or a change in work status
- The case appears to be stalling and a structured check against the expected timeline is needed
- A new record is needed; each one gets its own ID in the form CPR-2026-000
- A linked record needs this one to exist, because the case record links to it
Do not use it for
- Return to Work Progress Review, which checks a specific graduated or modified return plan against its own milestones once the worker is already back in some capacity
- Occupational Health Case Record, which records and tracks the case from first report through to closure, and is the parent record this review reports against
- Case Closure Record, which closes the case and records the outcome and any lasting restrictions, once it is actually ready
- Claim Support Record, which records the information provided to support a workers compensation claim, rather than the case's overall progress
- Anything outside KnowHealth, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process
Compliance mapping
Which WCB guidance requirements does this satisfy?
There is no single numbered standard behind case progress review in the way ISO 45001 numbers its clauses. WCB guidance sets the practice at the level of expectation rather than clause, which puts the weight on whether the review actually covers the case rather than on matching a reference number.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| WCB guidance — timely case review | Case reviewed at a set interval against the expected timeline for the claim, so drift is caught rather than discovered at closure | Header |
| WCB guidance — return to work cooperation | Employer and worker duty to cooperate in identifying suitable, genuinely available modified duties | Progress |
| WCB guidance — claim status tracking | Case manager tracks status changes on the claim itself, not only on the workplace side of the case | Progress |
| WCB guidance — non-medical barriers | Practical and psychosocial obstacles to return identified and addressed, rather than left to resolve on their own | Barriers |
| WCB guidance — worker participation | The worker's own view of confidence, readiness and workplace relationships considered alongside the medical and claim picture | Barriers |
| WCB guidance — closure readiness | Case assessed for closure readiness against defined criteria, not against elapsed time alone | Actions |
| WCB guidance — corrective follow-through | Actions arising from the review assigned an owner and a date, and tracked to verified completion | Actions |
What it does not cover
- Return to Work Progress Review, which is the narrower plan-tracking instrument for a return already under way, not the whole-case check.
- Occupational Health Case Record, which is the parent record covering the case from first report to closure, and which this review does not replace.
- Case Closure Record, which is a distinct instrument for the act of closing a case and recording its outcome.
- Claim Support Record, which documents what was provided to support a compensation claim, rather than judging how the case is progressing.
- Modified Duty Plan, which sets out the temporary duties themselves, rather than reviewing whether the case built around them is on track.
Global
Case Progress Review requirements by country
WCB is a Canadian provincial term, but the underlying expectation, that an open case is reviewed against its own timeline rather than left to run indefinitely, appears in most workers' compensation and OH&S systems in some form.
Provincial workers compensation board guidance
Case management expectations set by the provincial WCB, including regular status review and cooperation duties on both employer and worker.
Provinces differ in how prescriptive the cadence is, but the duty to cooperate in a timely return generally sits on both parties, not the employer alone.
State workers' compensation systems; ADA reasonable accommodation where applicable
No federal case-review standard equivalent to WCB guidance; practice is set by the carrier, the state system, or internal policy.
Without a comparable prescribed cadence, the interval and trigger events forcing an off-cycle review are whatever the organisation's own policy sets, worth stating explicitly.
ISO 45001, general OH&S case handling practice
No standard prescribes case progress review by name, but the expectation that non-conforming or stalled processes are identified and corrected sits within any certified OH&S system.
A stalling case not caught by a structured review is, functionally, an uncorrected nonconformance, whether or not it is labelled that way locally.
How to complete it
How to complete a case progress review, step by step
Most of what makes a case progress review useful is not on the form as a prompt. It is in how the reviewer uses the fields that are there.
It is natural to focus on whatever changed since the last review, usually work status. The review should also revisit claim status and timeline even when nothing about them has obviously moved, because a claim can be quietly stalled while the workplace side looks fine.
Recovery and return stall for practical reasons more often than medical ones: transport, shift pattern, a supervisor asking when things will be back to normal. A reviewer who does not ask will record no barriers, and absence of a recorded barrier is not evidence none exists.
A target date set at the start is an estimate, not a commitment. Confirming at each review whether it is still realistic, and saying so when it is not, is what keeps the record honest about where the case actually stands.
An action raised at one review and not verified at the next is functionally the same as no action having been raised. Check the outcome of the previous review's actions before generating new ones.
What auditors find
Most common case progress review findings
The case progress review almost always exists on schedule. The findings concern whether it engaged with the case or only confirmed the most visible fact about it.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Review reports work status only; claim status and timeline are not revisited. | WCB guidance — timely case review | Require the claim status field to be actively confirmed at every review, not carried forward by default. |
| Barriers to progress recorded as none, without evidence the worker was actually asked. | WCB guidance — worker participation | Record who was consulted about barriers and when, so a blank finding can be distinguished from an unasked question. |
| Target return date carried forward as still realistic without being reconsidered. | WCB guidance — timely case review | Require an explicit judgement on the target date at every review, with a stated reason when it changes. |
| Clinical detail shared beyond occupational health, or access restriction not confirmed each review. | Confidentiality control | Re-confirm access restriction and consent status at every review rather than assuming it still holds. |
| Case marked ready to close without a closure record being raised or linked. | WCB guidance — closure readiness | Block a 'ready to close' status from standing alone; require the closure reference before finalising. |
| Action raised at a previous review has no owner, no date, or is never checked. | WCB guidance — corrective follow-through | Assign owner and date when raised, and require the following review to confirm outcome, not just existence. |
Case in point
Case in point: the review that missed the claim, not the plan
A worker on modified duties following a shoulder injury was reviewed every four weeks. Each review recorded the same pattern: modified duties working, restrictions still appropriate, no barriers identified, target date realistic. Work status looked stable, so each review closed quickly.
At the fifth review, the case manager checked the claim file directly rather than relying on the previous answer, and found the claim had been placed under review by the insurer two reviews earlier over a documentation gap, with no compensation paid in the interim. The worker had said nothing, assuming occupational health already knew. Nothing in the review had prompted anyone to ask, because the claim status question had been answered identically each time without being actively re-checked.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
4 sections
- Reference
- HLT-019
- Archetype
- Review
- Record ID
- CPR2-2026-000
- Scoring
- Not scored
- Direction
- n/a
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- WCB guidance
- Links
- Links Health Case
- Tags
- Health, Case
- Sections
- 4
- Fields
- 45
- Follow up fields
- 7
- Repeating sections
- 0
- Links out
- 5
Header
15 fieldsReview ID*
Auto sequence. Format CPR-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Completed By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Worker*
Person ID*
Format PER-0000.
Links to FDN-003 Person ID
Record Confidentiality
Clinical detail stays with occupational health. Management receives a fitness outcome and any restrictions, never a diagnosis. Restrict access to this template accordingly.
Clinical Detail Held Separately*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Access Restricted To Occupational Health*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Worker Consent Obtained*
Consent to share the fitness outcome with the employer. Withdrawal is the worker's right.
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Case ID*
Thread key
Review Number*
Days Since Case Opened*
Progress
9 fieldsCurrent Work Status*
- Full duties3 pts
- Modified duties1 pt
- Phased return1 pt
- Absent0 pts
Change Since Last Review*
- Improved3 pts
- No change1 pt
- Deteriorated0 pts
Progressing As Expected*
- Yes3 pts
- Slower1 pt
- No0 pts
Modified Duties Working
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Restrictions Still Appropriate*
- Yes3 pts
- Need changing1 pt
Restrictions Changed
Hours Increased Since Last Review
- Yes3 pts
- No1 pt
Current Hours Per Week
Target Return Date Still Realistic*
- Yes3 pts
- Needs extending1 pt
- No0 pts
Barriers
7 fieldsAsk About The Obstacles
Recovery stalls for practical reasons more often than medical ones. Transport, shift patterns, confidence, or a supervisor who keeps asking when they will be back to normal.
Barriers To Progress Identified*
- No3 pts
- Yes0 pts
Barrier Type
Medical, workplace, personal, psychological or process.
Barrier Detail
Worker Confidence About Returning*
- Confident3 pts
- Uncertain1 pt
- Anxious0 pts
Relationship With Team Positive*
- Yes3 pts
- Mixed1 pt
- No0 pts
Additional Support Needed*
- No3 pts
- Yes1 pt
Actions
14 fieldsFurther Referral Needed*
Referral ID
Links to HLT-013 Referral ID
Plan Amended*
Case Ready To Close*
- Yes3 pts
- No1 pt
Closure Record ID
Links to HLT-020 Record ID
Next Review Date
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
Case Manager*
Signature*
Worker*
Second Signature*
HLT-019 · record IDs look like CPR2-2026-000 · Links Health Case
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The review itself is straightforward to complete. What slips is noticing a case has stalled between scheduled reviews, and checking that an action raised at one review is actually followed up at the next.
Holds the review against the parent case record, flags answers carried forward unchanged across multiple cycles, and keeps the confidentiality boundary enforced on access.
Watches claim status and work status together across reviews, surfaces a case whose target date keeps sliding without being formally revised, and holds any write to the case for approval.
Connects a supervisor's readiness to run modified duties well to the training that underpins it, so restrictions being respected is not left to goodwill.
This template lives in KnowHealth — employee wellbeing. Exposure monitoring, health surveillance, case management and return to work.
Meet KnowHealth→Glossary
Case Progress Review definitions and key terms
- WCB
- Workers compensation board: the provincial body governing injury claims, benefits and return to work obligations in Canadian jurisdictions.
- Case progress review
- A periodic, whole-case check of medical status, claim status, employer actions and timeline, distinct from a review of any single return-to-work plan.
- Barrier to return
- Any obstacle, medical or otherwise, preventing progress toward return: commonly practical or psychosocial rather than clinical.
- Case manager
- The person, usually within occupational health, responsible for tracking the case across its medical, claim and workplace elements to a resolution.
- Modified duties
- Temporary work adjusted to a worker's current restrictions, distinct from a formally graduated return-to-work schedule.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about case progress review
Does a case progress review require a return-to-work plan to be running?+
No. A case can be reviewed under this template while the worker is still off entirely and awaiting treatment or a claim decision. It becomes relevant to compare against a return plan once one exists, at which point the plan itself is tracked by the Return to Work Progress Review.
What is the difference between this and a Return to Work Progress Review?+
This review asks whether the case as a whole is on track: medical status, claim status, employer actions and timeline. The Return to Work Progress Review asks a narrower question, whether a specific plan is meeting its own milestones now the worker is back in some capacity. A case can need this review with no plan review running alongside it.
Why does the template restrict access to clinical detail?+
Occupational health holds clinical information under a duty of confidentiality that management does not share. What management needs to run the workplace side is a fitness outcome and any restrictions, not a diagnosis. The access fields keep that boundary visible and re-confirmed, rather than assumed.
What counts as a barrier to progress?+
Anything obstructing the case's movement toward resolution, and it is more often practical than medical: transport, a shift pattern that does not fit modified hours, confidence, or pressure from a supervisor about timeline. A review that only probes symptoms will under-report barriers.
When should a case be assessed as ready to close?+
When it meets the closure criteria the case management approach sets, not simply when the calendar interval suggests it. Reaching an arbitrary review number is not the same as having actually resolved, and marking one ready to close should trigger the closure record rather than stand alone.
How often should a case progress review happen?+
At the set interval the case management approach defines, and additionally whenever a trigger event occurs: a claim status change, a new medical opinion, or an unexpected work status change. The interval is the floor, not the only occasion a review is warranted.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Return to Work
Occupational Health Case Record
Records and tracks a health case from first report through to closure
Work Restriction Record
Records what a worker can and cannot do while recovering, and for how long
Modified Duty Plan
Sets out the temporary duties a recovering worker will perform
Case Closure Record
Closes a health case, recording the outcome and any lasting restrictions
Claim Support Record
Records the information provided to support a workers compensation claim
Absence Trend Review
Reviews absence patterns by area, shift and cause category to find where work is making people ill
More in Case Management
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- Provincial workers compensation board (WCB) guidance on case management and return to work
- National Institute of Disability Management and Research (NIDMAR) — disability management standards
- Provincial workers compensation board case management and claims guidelines
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.