# Return to Work Awareness Act

This bill creates a public awareness and information campaign to help people who've survived strokes, heart attacks, traumatic brain injuries, and similar serious health events get back to work. The Department of Labor would run this effort through an existing program called the Job Accommodation Network, which already helps people with disabilities find jobs and make workplace adjustments.

The campaign would target three main groups: the survivors themselves and their families, employers, and service providers who work with people recovering from health crises. The goal is to spread information about how survivors can successfully return to employment, show employers that these workers are valuable and capable, and help survivors understand options for starting their own businesses if traditional employment doesn't work out.

In practical terms, this means survivors of serious health events would have better access to resources explaining what workplace accommodations they might need, how to talk to employers about their situation, and what support is available. Employers would get information about how to successfully hire and support workers returning from health crises, potentially breaking down misconceptions that might otherwise lead to discrimination. The bill doesn't create new benefits or require employers to do anything—it's purely about spreading awareness and providing information to make the return-to-work process smoother for everyone involved.

Return to Work Awareness Act

Beatty, Joyce

Return to Work Awareness Act This bill authorizes the Job Accommodation Network to disseminate information and promote awareness among survivors of stroke and other debilitating health occurrences, such as traumatic brain injury and heart attack, and survivors' families, as well as among employers, government agencies, employee representatives, and service providers to (1) assist survivors of stroke and such other debilitating health occurrences in returning to work, (2) improve a survivor's employability and demonstrate to employers ways to capitalize on the value and talent that survivors add to the workplace, and (3) enhance self-employment and entrepreneurship options for survivors.