The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB), in collaboration with nine other workers’ compensation rating bureaus, has jointly released COVID-19 and Workers’ Compensation – Phase II of the Multibureau Collaboration.

This updated study includes two years of claims data – Accident Years (AY) 2020 and 2021 through year-end 2021 – from the following workers’ compensation bureaus: California, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI). One result of this effort is the creation of a COVID-19 claims database, which includes a comprehensive view of COVID-19 claim characteristics and trends. The analysis does not include experience from self-insured employers or denial and expense-only claims.

Key findings in the report include:

• This analysis relied on data from 45 jurisdictions, representing $1.1 billion in COVID-19-related losses from about 117,000 claims. The average claim cost during the two-year period was approximately $9,600.
• On average, COVID-19 claims decreased from 11 percent of workers’ comp lost-time claims reported in AY 2020 to 4 percent in AY 2021 across the jurisdictions included in the study. For California, COVID-19 claim shares were somewhat higher in 2020 with 13 percent of lost time claims involving COVID-19. For 2021, the California COVID-19 claim share of 4 percent was similar to the national average.
• Approximately 75 percent of reported COVID-19 lost-time claims were from the healthcare sector, while that sector only accounts for about 9 percent of non-COVID-19 lost-time claims. In California, with its relatively broad presumptions, about one-half of COVID-19-insured employer claims were from the healthcare sector.

This updated report confirms significant findings from our 2020 report and includes additional insights on industry sector and accident-quarter metrics. Claim and loss activity varied across jurisdictions, impacting individual states and sectors differently and at varying times. Uncertainties remain about the long-term impact of COVID-19.

The full report is available in the Research section of the WCIRB website or by clicking the following link:

• COVID-19 and Workers’ Compensation – Phase II of the Multibureau Collaboration

Additional Resource

Medical Treatments and Costs of COVID-19 Claims and an Early Look at Long COVID in the California Workers’ Compensation System

Research Forum Webinar

Several independent bureaus and NCCI will host an insightful webinar on information derived from this collaborative study. Click on the link below to view the webinar.

Industry Webinar: COVID-19 and Workers’ Compensation – Phase II of the Multibureau Collaboration
Presented January 18, 2023
View video recording (registration required)