Industry-Specific Profile of COVID-19-Related Workers' Compensation Claims in New York State.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize the distribution and award status of COVID-19-related workers' compensation (WC) claims in New York State (NYS) for 2020 and 2021. METHODS: Characteristics and filing rates of COVID-19 claims were described by industry, time of illness, and award status. Nursing care facilities' claims were compared with the recorded nursing home staff COVID-19 infections and deaths reported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) during the same period. RESULTS: Of 29,814 COVID-19 claims, 21.9% were awarded benefits, although 86.8% of the claimants worked in essential industries. Of the 46,505 CMS-recorded COVID-19 infections, 1.4% resulted in a claim and 7.2% of the 111 CMS-recorded deaths received death benefits. CONCLUSIONS: The NYS WC program has provided very modest support to essential workers for the likely work-related burden of the pandemic in NYS.

Emerging Issues from COVID-19 in the Australian Workplace.

This article addresses a range of workplace issues, with a focus on workers' compensation and return to work, and employment law and related medical issues after the outbreak and spread of COVID-19 in Australia since 2020. It will briefly address some changes to the insurance industry generally and then consider the sometimes complex issues arising from workers' compensation claims, which have changed behaviours in claims and injury management. It concludes the theme emerging from decided cases to date that employers, insurers, and rehabilitation providers must adopt a reasonable approach to the consultation and implementation of workplace changes affecting injured workers subject to return-to-work programs.

Marked Decreases in Time Lost From Work Among COVID-19 Claimants During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An Observational Study of Claims Filed at a Nationwide US Workers Compensation Insurance Carrier.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the long-term persistence of COVID-19-related impairment and the ability to work after the acute phase of the illness. METHOD: The 19,101 COVID-19 workers' compensation claims filed between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, with follow-up to May 31, 2022, were analyzed. RESULTS: The average time lost from work decreased from 77 days in the first quarter of 2020 to 9.2 days in the fourth quarter of 2021, and the proportion of claims with 30 days or more of lost time decreased from 40.4% to 2.8 days in the same time frame. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 indemnity claims filed in later quarters of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have much lower average time lost from work and lower proportions of workers' compensation claims with more than 30, 60, and 150 days of lost time compared with earlier quarters.

COVID-19 as an Occupational Disease-Temporal Trends in the Number and Severity of Claims in Germany.

COVID-19 is considered an occupational disease (OD), when infection occurs at the workplace for health workers (HW). Because of the increased infection risk of these workers, they were deemed to be a priority group when the vaccination campaign started in Germany in December 2020. By December 2021, more than 90% of HW had been vaccinated twice. We studied the number and the time trend concerning the severity of OD claims related to COVID-19. Workers' compensation claims for OD are recorded in a standardized database of the Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare Services (BGW). We analyzed all notifiable COVID-19 related claims filed between 1 March 2020 and 30 September 2022. The proportion of severe cases was estimated by inpatient stays, injury benefit payments, rehabilitation measures, and deaths. The data analysis was descriptive. Due to COVID-19, 317,403 notifiable cases were reported to the BGW. Of these, 200,505 (63.2%) had thus far been recognized as OD. The number of notifiable cases was highest in 2022 and lowest in 2020. In total, 3289 insured individuals were admitted to rehabilitation management. This represented 1.6% of all recognized ODs due to COVID-19 at the BGW. The proportion of cases admitted to rehabilitation management decreased from 4.5% of all recognized ODs in 2020 to 3.2% in 2021 and to 0.1% of all recognized cases in 2022. For inpatient stays, injury benefit payment, and death, a similar trend was observed. Therefore, it might be concluded that the successful vaccination campaign mitigated the negative health effects of COVID-19 on HW. Even with vaccination, severe cases can occur. Therefore, infection prevention at the workplace remains paramount.

Lost time: COVID-19 indemnity claim reporting and results in the Wisconsin workers' compensation system from March 12 to December 31, 2020.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic introduced a new compensable infectious disease to workplaces. METHODS: This was a descriptive analysis of Wisconsin COVID workers' compensation (WC) claims between March 12 and December 31, 2020. The impact of the presumption law (March 12 to June 10, 2020) was also evaluated. RESULTS: Less than 1% of working-age residents with COVID-19 filed a claim. COVID-19 WC claim rates (per 100,000 FTE) were notably low for frontline industry sectors such as Retail Trade (n = 115), Manufacturing (n = 88), and Wholesale Trade (n = 31). Healthcare workers (764 claims per 100,000 FTE) comprised 73.2% of COVID-19 claims. Most claims (52.8%) were denied and the proportion of denied claims increased significantly after the presumption period for both first responders and other occupations. CONCLUSION: The presumption law made benefits accessible primarily to first responders. Further changes to WC systems are needed to offset the individual and collective costs of infectious diseases.

[Vaccination in Workplace and Compensation for Adverse Events].

Several types of SARS-Cov-2 vaccine have been quickly developed and officially approved for emergency use in accordance with the Pharmaceutical Act. Mass vaccination in workplaces in Japan was subsequently promoted, targeting health care workers and senior citizens. We overviewed the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and reviewed reports containing fatal outcomes, compensation programs, and remedial measures for health damage after vaccinations, in relation to their relevant legislations. The Immunization Act was amended prior to the mass vaccination to authorize the indemnity agreement between the government and pharmaceutical companies to compensate for losses based on health damages after vaccination. Pursuant to the Civil Code and the State Redress Act, employers reserve the right to obtain reimbursement when they are liable to pay compensation for damages inflicted on a third party. There are no provisions to exclude healthcare workers and occupational health staff who participated in practical procedures from lawsuits and liability. We propose legislative reformation and careful contracts with responsible organizations concerned with emergency vaccinations in order to confront forthcoming new or re-emerging infections beyond this pandemic.

Attributes of Long Duration COVID-19 Workers' Compensation Claims.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the attributes associated with long duration COVID- 19 workers' compensation (WC) claims. METHODS: A study was conducted on 13,153 COVID-19 WC claims accepted by a workers' compensation insurance carrier between January 1, 2020 and November 30, 2021. RESULTS: 1) Ninety-five percent of accepted WC claims were closed within the study period; 2) five percent of claims had 30 days or longer of lost time accounting for 65% of total paid WC costs; 3) medical costs increased 8-fold once paid days lost crossed the threshold of 60 days or greater; 4) age was the strongest risk factor associated with increased WC costs and prolonged impairment. CONCLUSION: Age at the time of infection was the major factor associated with prolonged impairment and high costs of COVID-19 related WC claims.

Experiences, impacts and service needs of injured and ill workers in the WSIB process: evidence from Thunder Bay and District (Ontario, Canada). / Expériences, besoins en services et répercussions des processus de la Commission de la sécurité professionnelle et de l'assurance contre les accidents du travail (WSIB) chez les travailleurs blessés et malades : données probantes de la ville et du district de Thunder Bay (Ontario, Canada).

INTRODUCTION: Individuals experience negative physical, social and psychological ramifications when they are hurt or become ill at work. Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) is intended to mitigate these effects, yet the WSIB process can be difficult. Supports for injured workers can be fragmented and scarce, especially in underserved areas. We describe the experiences and mental health needs of injured and ill Northwestern Ontario workers in the WSIB process, in order to promote system improvements. METHODS: Community-recruited injured and ill workers (n = 40) from Thunder Bay and District completed an online survey about their mental health, social service and legal system needs while involved with WSIB. Additional Northwestern Ontario injured and ill workers (n = 16) and community service providers experienced with WSIB processes (n = 8) completed interviews addressing similar themes. RESULTS: Northwestern Ontario workers described the impacts of workplace injury and illness on their professional, family, financial and social functioning, and on their physical and mental health. Many also reported incremental negative impacts of the WSIB processes themselves, including regional issues such as "small town" privacy concerns and the cost burden of travel required by the WSIB, especially during COVID-19. Workers and service providers suggested streamlining and explicating WSIB processes, increasing WSIB continuity of care, and region-specific actions such as improving access to regional support services through arm's-length navigators. CONCLUSION: Northwestern Ontario workers experienced negative effects from workplace injuries and illness and the WSIB process itself. Stakeholders can use these findings to improve processes and outcomes for injured and ill workers, with special considerations for the North.

Trends and Disparities in the Use of Telehealth Among Injured Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To describe telehealth trends within a population-based workers' compensation system during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to assess telehealth utilization by sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used Washington State workers' compensation claims and medical billing data from January 2019 to October 2020. RESULTS: Telehealth use averaged 1.2% of medical bills pre-pandemic, peaked in April 2020 at 8.8%, and leveled off to around 3.6% from July to October 2020. Telehealth utilization differed significantly by age, sex, number of dependents, injury, industry, and receipt of interpreter services. Workers residing in counties with higher population, lower poverty rates, and greater Internet access had higher telehealth usage. CONCLUSIONS: There were dramatic shifts in telehealth; usage differed by sociodemographic characteristics. Further studies evaluating disparities in tele-health access among injured workers are needed.

Worker and employer experiences with COVID-19 and the California Workers' Compensation System: A review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Given workplace risks from COVID-19, California policymakers passed Senate Bill (SB) 1159 to facilitate access to workers' compensation (WC) benefits for frontline workers. However there has been no review of the available evidence needed to inform policy decisions about COVID-19 and WC. METHODS: We conducted a literature review on worker and employer experiences surrounding COVID-19 and WC, adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. RESULTS: Forty articles were included (16 about worker experiences and 24 about employer practices). Most were not about experiences and practices related to COVID-19 and WC. Worker studies indicated that paid sick leave reduced new COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 activity. Studies also found that rural agricultural and food processing workers lacked sick leave protection and faced severe housing and food insecurity. Studies on workplace health and safety indicated that healthcare workers with access to personal protective equipment had lower stress levels. Studies about employer practices found that unrestricted work in high-contact industries was associated with increased risks to at-risk workers, and with health disparities. No studies examined worker COVID-19 experiences and WC claims or benefits, job loss, retaliation, workers' medical care experiences, and return-to-work or leave practices. CONCLUSIONS: Our review identified experiences and practice related to COVID-19 and the WC system, but not specifically about WC and COVID-19 WC claims or benefits. Further research is needed to document and understand evidence underpinning the need for WC coverage for COVID-19 and to evaluate the impact of the current SB 1159 bill on WC in California.

Occupational impact in COVID-19 pandemic according to one year of compensation claims in Italy.

OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the patterns of occupational COVID-19 cases, based on compensation claims applied to the Italian National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (Inail). DESIGN: descriptive analyses of daily time series of compensation claims applications, geographical distributions, and occupations involved. Multivariate analyses have been performed for identifying significant epidemiological pattern. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: compensation claims for COVID-19 injuries received by Inail from March 2020 to February 2021 have been analysed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: daily time series of compensation claims applications in the first year of pandemic and comparatively with population data, patterns of occupations majorly involved in time, territorial clusters. RESULTS: in the observed period, Inail has received 155,684 workers' compensation claims with a first peak (more than 1,000 daily compensation claims) in March 2020 and a second peak (more than 1,500) in November 2020. A time dependent geographical pattern was identified, with the Northern regions formerly affected in the first phase, followed by a diffusion in the Central and Southern regions during the summer period. Health technicians (32% and 42% in male and female, respectively) and physicians (15%and 6%) were the most involved workers. The timing of infection was found to depend by job, with physicians, nurses, and health technicians firstly involved with a spread of about 2 weeks with respect to other jobs. Trend in health workers' vaccination has been found in a clear inverse relationship with the decreasing number of compensation claims, remaining, since February 2021, under one hundred daily cases of occupational COVID-19 compensation claims. CONCLUSIONS: different intensities, timing, and characteristics were found among application claims, which address for different pandemic diffusion paths. Health workers are the firstly and most involved impacted by the pandemic. The use of application claims could be useful and effective in monitoring the occupational component of COVID-19 and his trend in time and space. There is a need to establish an epidemiological surveillance system that includes the assessment of work related risk, supporting the effectiveness of public insurance and welfare system, and to harmonize occupational data collection among countries.

COVID-19 among Health Workers in Germany-An Update.

This is an update of our report on COVID-19 among health and social welfare workers in Germany. Workers' compensation claims for occupational diseases (OD) are recorded in a standardized database of the Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare Services (BGW). We analyzed which workers in the health and welfare sector are most often affected by COVID-19. For the different sectors in healthcare and welfare, the number of full-time workers is known (FTW), allowing for calculation of claim rates by sector. The period for data presentation was extended to 3 May 2021 for this update. The cumulative number of COVID-19 claims increased from 4398 by May 2020 to 84,728 by May 2021. The majority of claims concern nursing homes (39.5%) and hospitals (37.6%). Nursing is the profession most often concerned (68.8%). Relative to the number of workers, the claim rate is highest for hospitals (41.3/1000 FTW). Seventy-seven workers died (0.09%) and three hundred and seventy-five (0.4%) were hospitalized. A total of 65,693 (77.5%) claims were assessed, and for 81.4% of these claims, the OD was confirmed. The number of health and welfare workers affected by COVID-19 is high. With most HW vaccinated by now in Germany, within the next few weeks or months, the number of new cases should decrease.

What Industrial Categories Are Workers at Excess Risk of Filing a COVID-19 Workers' Compensation Claim? A Study Conducted in 11 Midwestern US States.

OBJECTIVE: Determine the industries with the highest proportion of accepted COVID-19 related workers' compensation (WC) claims. METHODS: Study included 21,336 WC claims (1898 COVID-19 and 19,438 other claims) that were filed between January 1, 2020 and August 31, 2020 from 11 states in the Midwest United States. RESULT: The overwhelming proportion of all COVID-19 related WC claims submitted and accepted were from healthcare workers (83.77%). Healthcare was the only industrial classification that was at significantly higher COVID-19 WC claim submission risk (odds ratio [OR]: 4.00; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 2.77 to 5.79) controlling for type of employment, sex, age, and presumption of COVID-19 work-relatedness. Within healthcare employment, WC claims submitted by workers in medical laboratories had the highest risk (crude rate ratio of 8.78). CONCLUSION: Healthcare employment is associated with an increased risk of developing COVID-19 infections and submitting a workers' compensation claim.

Temporal trend in the compensation claim applications for work-related COVID-19 in Italy.

INTRODUCTION: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is an impacting challenge for the occupational medicine and epidemiology. The identification of occupational groups most at risk of exposure is critical in contrasting and preventing the epidemic diffusion. OBJECTIVE: To analyse the compensation claim applications collected by the Italian Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL) for identifying the occupational patterns and the temporal trend, in comparison with general population data. METHODS: Daily time series of compensation claim applications for COVID-19 injuries in the period March-October 2020, has been analysed, estimating the epidemiological parameters of interest and comparing findings with general population data. RESULTS: In the period March-October 2020, 65,804 compensation claim applications for COVID-19 have been collected by INAIL. The ratio between compensation claims applications and COVID-19 cases in the general population appears decreasing in the period, passing from 20% in the first pandemic period (March-April) to 3-4% in the September-October period. During the summer period, an increase in male and not Italian component and a decrease in mean age, Northern regions, and health care workers contributions to the occupational claims applications have been observed. DISCUSSION: The comparative analyses between occupational and general population data allowed to describe how the so called "second wave" of COVID-19 epidemic in Italy involved the occupational settings less than the other risk factors. There is a need to go towards an -occupational surveillance system for COVID-19 infection, with the aim of monitoring and preventing the occupational risk of infection, supporting insurance system effectiveness and managing vaccination policies.

Employer Liability for "Take-Home" COVID-19.

Workplace exposure to SARS-CoV-2 has sickened workers and, subsequently, their family members. Family members might be able to recover from the employer in a negligence action using "take-home" liability theory.

Evaluating Covid-19 Injury Claims With a Focus on Workers' Compensation.

: COVID-19 illness can cause multiorgan illness. Some States have passed legislation granting a rebuttable presumption of causation by workplace exposure in certain occupations. This paper summarizes methodology for evaluating claimants utilizing known science and as well as information from the American Medical Association Guides resources.

A Descriptive Study of the Implementation of Remote Occupational Rehabilitation Services Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic Within a Workers' Compensation Context.

Purpose The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in dramatic changes to avoid virus spread. In Canada, following provincial legislation the Workers' Compensation Board of Alberta (WCB-Alberta) stopped in-person rehabilitation services on March 23, 2020. On April 1, training began on remote service delivery using videoconferencing or telerehabilitation, which started April 3. We studied WCB-Alberta's transition to remote rehabilitation service delivery. Methods A population-based descriptive study was conducted, with data extracted from the WCB-Alberta database. This included clinical data from rehabilitation providers. We included workers completing services between January 1 and May 31, 2020. We statistically examined differences before and after the transition to remote services. Results The dataset included 4,516 individuals with work-related injuries. The mean number of work assessments per week pre-COVID was 244.6 (SD 83.5), which reduced to 135.9 (SD 74.5). Workers undergoing remote assessments were significantly more likely to work in health care or trades, did not require an interpreter, and were less likely to be working or judged as ready to return to work. Number of completed rehabilitation programs also reduced from 125.6 to 40.8 per week, with most (67.1%) remote programs being functional restoration. Few adverse effects were observed. Conclusions We describe the transition to completely remote delivery of occupational rehabilitation due to COVID-19 physical distancing restrictions in one Canadian compensation jurisdiction. It appears the use of remote services was successful but proceeded cautiously, with fewer complex cases being referred for assessment or rehabilitation. Further research examining longer-term work outcomes and stakeholder perceptions is needed.