The role of rehabilitation is to return an individual to a state of productive living and in our society, work Is central to the identity and well-being of many people. We contend that there is no single best model of vocational intervention and that it is necessary to identify the most appropriate and cost-beneficial services for placing and retaining individuals with traumatic brain Injury (TBI) in competitive employment. This article reviews an Individualized return-to-work program and a cost-benefit analysis conducted from 1988 to 1992 on 142 persons with TBI. The results demonstrate that vocational services are of great value in both service quality (ie, outcomes) and cost. The ratio of total taxpayer benefit to cost for total program operational cost attributable to the sample was 2:1; the ratio of total taxpayer benefit to state cost was 4:1. Public policy concerns and Implications are also discussed.
(C) Williams & Wilkins 1993. All Rights Reserved.