The (In)Eligibility of Workers Sent to the INSS Professional Rehabilitation Program

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate the reasons to not accept workers who make contributions into the Professional Rehabilitation Program (PRP) of the National Social Security Institute (INSS). Using a transversal and documental case study, data were collected from the records individuals sent to the PRP at an INSS agency in southeastern Brazil, from 2007-2012. A tool developed to standardize the data collection and recording, verified if the final Evaluation of Work Potential reports prepared by the staff responsible for initial attendance determined if the worker sent was eligible or not to enter the PRP program. The reasons described by the staff for not including workers were grouped according to the proximity to a signifier, forming central categories, discriminating them by the justifications made in each case.