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Workers’ Compensation Benefits, Costs, and CoverageBrowse by Topic
By: Griffin T. Murphy, Jay Patel, Leslie I. Boden, and Jennifer Wolf Published: October, 2021 The 24th annual workers’ compensation report produced by the Academy provides the only comprehensive data on workers’ compensation benefits, coverage, and employer costs for the nation, the states, the District of Columbia, and federal programs. Trends in this five-year study period (2015-2019) largely continue those presented in the past few reports. Additionally, this year’s report implements improved methods to estimate employer costs and incorporates more state-agency data to create the most accurate report to date. Executive SummaryIntroductionLike other social insurance programs – e.g., Social Security, Medicare, and Unemployment Insurance – workers’ compensation uses contributions from employers and workers to provide support for workers when they need it. As the first social insurance program to be implemented in the United States, the first states adopted workers’ compensation in the early 1910s, when federal-level programs were not yet considered legally acceptable. Other states quickly followed suit, with 43 states having enacted workers’ compensation laws by 1920. In the century since, workers’ compensation has served as a critical protection for workers and their families, providing medical care and, when appropriate, cash support. (It also pays funeral expenses and survivor benefits for those whose injuries result in death.) It has evolved to protect not only those injured at work, but also certain cases of those who become ill due to workplace factors, though occupational diseases have been less clearly and consistently covered. As a state-based system, measuring the impact of annual legislative and regulatory changes on employers and workers nationally is difficult. This makes the National Academy of Social Insurance Report on Workers’ Compensation Benefits, Costs, and Coverage an important and unique work. Since 1996, the Academy has produced the nation’s only annual report providing data on coverage of the U.S. labor force, the cost of that coverage, and benefits paid to workers at both the national level and across states. Annual reports provide data updated to two years prior – in this case, the most recent data are from 2019 – as well as updates on the preceding four years (2015-18), and twenty-year trends for key metrics. This executive summary highlights key findings and trends from the report, which is available on this website. Key Findings and Trends in Workers’ CompensationTotal benefits paid rose slightly, standardized benefits fell.While overall, total benefits paid rose slightly over the five-year study period from 2015 to 2019, standardized benefits fell, continuing a ten-year trend. (Table 1)
Total employer costs rose less than worker benefits.Total employer costs rose less than worker benefits, and fell more than benefits on a standardized basis, also sustaining a long-term trend. (Table 1)
Coverage continued to increase.Coverage continued to increase, largely because the labor force has continued to expand, a fairly consistent trend. (Table 1)
State-level data and outliers
Other Trends
ConclusionWorkers’ Compensation Benefits, Costs, and Coverage – 2019 Data contains nineteen tables, seven figures, and five appendices covering national and state level data relevant to workers’ compensation outcomes. These data range from benefits, costs, and coverage to Department of Labor data on injuries and fatalities, and data on the overlaps between Social Security disability insurance and the workers’ compensation system. Certain source data are available upon request to Griffin Murphy, , or Jay Patel, . Previous Annual Reports:2020 | Workers’ Compensation Benefits, Costs, and Coverage – 2018 Data 2019 | Workers’ Compensation Benefits, Costs, and Coverage – 2017 Data 2018 | Workers’ Compensation Benefits, Costs, and Coverage – 2016 Data 2017 | Workers’ Compensation Benefits, Coverage, and Costs – 2015 Data 2016 | Workers’ Compensation Benefits, Coverage, and Costs – 2014 Data 2015 | Workers’ Compensation: Benefits, Coverage, and Costs – 2013 Data 2014 | Workers’ Compensation: Benefits, Coverage, and Costs – 2012 Data 2013 | Workers’ Compensation: Benefits, Coverage, and Costs – 2011 Data 2012 | Workers’ Compensation: Benefits, Coverage, and Costs – 2010 Data 2011 | Workers’ Compensation: Benefits, Coverage, and Costs – 2009 Data 2010 | Workers’ Compensation: Benefits, Coverage, and Costs – 2008 Data 2009 | Workers’ Compensation: Benefits, Coverage, and Costs – 2007 Data 2008 | Workers’ Compensation: Benefits, Coverage, and Costs – 2006 Data Browse by Topic
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