Today’s issue of WorkCompRecap features the release of another edition of WCRI’s CompScope Benchmarks, which examined the Illinois system and found that the average total cost per claim in Illinois changed little between 2019 and 2021 for injuries evaluated as of the first quarter of 2022.
Key findings included that total costs per claim with more than seven days of lost time in the state have grown 2% YoY since 2012, and during the pandemic, between 2019 and 2021, the average total cost per claim also changed little due to small increases in indemnity benefits per claim offset by decreases in medical payments per claim. WCRI also noted that the average total cost per claim in Illinois was 21% higher than the cost in the median study state, with indemnity benefits as the largest component, which was attributed to a higher weekly benefit maximum in Illinois compared with other study states, and longer duration of temporary disability benefits than most other study states.