Caseload Management Strategies: Summary of Effective Strategies for Managing Large Caseloads

The Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Management (VRTAC-QM) conducted a literature review of effective strategies for managing large caseloads. The purpose of this review is to provide rehabilitation professionals with resources and information that will help them manage large caseloads. There is limited information available that is specific to VR, so this review includes strategies that have proven effective in other human service fields such as social work and health care.

Following is a summary of the effective strategies. The complete reference list follows and includes scholarly articles and general information available online.  We encourage readers to examine the source articles for in-depth information. Several of the source articles and research include helpful information about caseload management generally, the benefits of organizations maintaining manageable caseload sizes for staff, and how to avoid burnout. In addition, several articles indicate that maintaining a manageable caseload size is a critical factor in staff retention and reducing the turnover rate.