Getting all those tasks done at work can be a challenge, especially the “non-essential” ones that just seem to pile up. Does your team have stacks of filing sitting in boxes? Need help staffing a front desk or hotline? Have some documents ready to be scanned so you can go paperless?

That’s where King County’s Transitional Duty Assignment (TDA) Program comes in. Providing light duty work to a TDA worker gives you valuable labor you don’t have to pay for while also keeping temporarily disabled workers connected to King County. It’s a win for the both of you! Employees will be compensated for TDA work by their home department or through Safety and Claims. Research shows that employees temporarily working in TDA roles after suffering an injury or while experiencing temporary disabilities are much more likely to return to their regular positions.

To qualify for placement, an employee must have a temporary medical restriction that cannot be accommodated in their regular position. Their department must also participate in the program.

TDA workers typically fill short-term work assignments providing admin support, customer service, data entry, mail handling, filing, and more. Better yet, requesting a TDA worker is quick and easy. Click here: TDA Request to fill out the request form. Nathan Kinker, the TDA Coordinator for King County, will let you know once your request has been received, and will begin screening candidates to find the best fit for your needs. Once a TDA worker starts, they will need a brief orientation, and every two weeks a signed and verified timecard will need to be emailed in. That’s it.

“We have the same TDA supervisors coming back to us again and again for more TDA workers. The program has such immense value for them and their teams. It also gives temporarily disabled workers the chance to try something new and see what else goes on here at King County, and they enjoy that opportunity,” says Nathan.

In 2019, 135 TDA placements were made, providing 7317 days of work for host departments. When divided by the number of workdays in a year, that’s the equivalent of 29 years of extra help received by those host departments.

The TDA Program is also expanding to provide additional support to King County’s Supported Employment Program (SEP) where possible, and providing available alternative work opportunities to employees who are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. SEP has been hard-hit by the pandemic, and we are looking for longer-term, but still temporary, placements for these highly-trained and valuable members of our workforce. We are also looking for opportunities for employees who are at an increased risk. This could include working at less populated locations, remote worksites, or performing telecommuting work.

So, if you’re interested in becoming a TDA supervisor, or a potential TDA worker needing more information, email King County TDA Coordinator Nathan Kinker at TDA@kingcounty.gov.