Cambridge, MA, May 13, 2021 – Total costs per workers’ compensation claim with more than seven days of lost time in Illinois have grown between 1 and 3 percent per year since 2012 (depending on the claim maturity), according to a recent study published by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).

“This growth reflects small increases in medical payments per claim, indemnity benefits per claim, and benefit delivery expenses per claim,” said Ramona Tanabe, executive vice president and general counsel of WCRI. “Changes in total costs per claim in Illinois were consistent with changes in many study states, both at 12 and 36 months of maturity.”

The 21st edition of CompScope™ Benchmarks for Illinois provides ongoing annual monitoring of how indemnity benefits, medical payments, and benefit delivery expenses per claim change over time, as well as how the Illinois workers’ compensation system compares with other study states on these key metrics. This edition analyzes claims with injury dates between 2014 and 2019 (evaluated as of March 31, 2020).

The following are among the study’s other findings:

• Indemnity benefits per claim with more than seven days of lost time in Illinois were higher than those in the median study state in 2017 (evaluated as of 2020).
• Overall litigation expenses per claim in Illinois were in the middle of the study states in 2017 (evaluated as of 2020).
• The average medical payment per claim with more than seven days of lost time in Illinois was higher than many study states for 2017 injuries (evaluated as of 2020).

The study includes experience on claims through March 2020, at the very beginning of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, so is a good baseline for evaluating the impact of the virus on workers’ compensation claims.

To learn more about this study or to purchase a copy, visit https://www.wcrinet.org/reports/compscope-benchmarks-for-illinois-21st-edition. Evelina Radeva authored this study.

About WCRI

The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) is an independent, not-for-profit research organization based in Cambridge, MA. Organized in late 1983, the Institute does not take positions on the issues it researches; rather, it provides information obtained through studies and data collection efforts, which conform to recognized scientific methods. Objectivity is further ensured through rigorous, unbiased peer review procedures. WCRI's diverse membership includes employers; insurers; governmental entities; managed care companies; health care providers; insurance regulators; state labor organizations; and state administrative agencies in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

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