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Indemnity benefits per claim in Illinois increased 5% in 2022, driven by a 4% increase in workers’ wages, a new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found. A 0.8-week increase in the average duration of temporary disability also contributed to the rise in indemnity benefits, the study said. The study found that Illinois also saw declining medical payments…

The probability of work-related accidents increases 5% to 6% when temperatures rise above 90 degrees, and the effect of workplace heat is stronger in the southern U.S. and in the construction industry, according to a report released Thursday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The report, “Impact of Excessive Heat on the Frequency of Work-Related Injuries,” used workers compensation claim…

The aging U.S. workforce is a rising concern for employers and workers compensation insurers as older worker injury claims are more likely to contain comorbidities. Older workers usually have greater expertise than younger co-workers and are injured less frequently but they often have more preexisting health issues than younger workers, making comp claims more complex. As life expectancy increases and…

Indemnity benefits per workers compensation claim grew at a “rapid” pace of 6% or more in 2022 in 16 out of 17 states analyzed by the Workers Compensation Research Institute, which said data prior to 2021 showed little change. Pegging the post-pandemic conditions as that which may have spurred the rise in indemnity benefits, WCRI said the tight labor market…