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COVID-19-related workers compensation claims fell last year compared with 2020, when the pandemic first hit the United States, but indemnity-only claims continued to represent the biggest share, a group of rating agencies said in a report released Tuesday. The average claim cost over the two-year period was $9,600, according to the report from the National Council on Compensation Insurance and…

While claim frequency in workers compensation has been flat for a decade, claim severity is increasing, and no industry is seeing it more than construction, according to panelists at the 42nd International Risk Management Institute Inc. Construction Risk Conference. “This is driven by medical advances,” said Mark Walls, vice president, communications & strategic analysis, for Safety National Casualty Corp. “They’re…

An annual study conducted by the National Academy of Social Insurance revealed workers compensation cost and benefits took a sharp downturn during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, while reporting at the state level uncovered a stark contrast in results. Data compiled by the academy ran over a five-year period from 2016 to 2020 and highlighted trends and outcomes…

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Wednesday that it has launched a local emphasis program aiming to reduce the higher rates of injuries among the more than 90,000 food production workers in Illinois and Ohio. The program, which began Oct. 3, started with an initial outreach focused on more than 1,400 manufacturing facilities in Illinois and Ohio where year-round…

Mental health-related workers compensation claims continue to rise, many fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, relatively new presumption laws countrywide that broaden workers compensation eligibility for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental injuries, and greater awareness of mental health issues, experts say. Yet traditional mental injury claims can and are being defended, as legal experts report a rise in such claim…