Today’s issue of WorkCompRecap features the release of the latest edition of WCRI’s CompScope Benchmarks reports, which provide ongoing annual monitoring of how indemnity benefits, medical payments, and benefit delivery expenses in 17 states compare and how they have changed over time.
Key findings in the 23rd Edtiion included that medical payments per claim decreased while indemnity benefits per claim continued to grow in 2020 and 2021 in many states, likely reflecting the impact of changes in economic conditions and usage of medical care during the early COVID-19 pandemic period. WCRI noted that wage growth was a key driver of the trend in indemnity benefits per claim, and that duration of temporary disability (TD) was another underlying factor. Most study states experienced decreasing or stable TD durations in 2021 after increases in 2020.