This 22nd edition of CompScope™ Benchmarks for California helps policymakers and other system stakeholders identify current cost drivers and emerging trends in total costs per claim and key components.

This study examines changes in the California workers’ compensation system and compares the performance of the California system with 17 other state systems. The report focuses on costs, income benefits, overall medical payments, use of benefits, duration of temporary disability, frequency and payments of permanent partial disability (PPD)/lump-sum claims, benefit delivery expenses, litigiousness, timeliness of payments, and other metrics. 

The study also examines how these system performance metrics have changed, primarily from 2015 to 2020 for claims at various claim maturities, though in some cases, we use a longer time frame to provide historical context. 

Note that the results we report reflect experience on claims through March 2021, including non-COVID-19 claims only from the early pandemic period (March–September 2020). The study, therefore, provides a look at how the pandemic impacted non-COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims in the early months of the pandemic. 

CompScope™ Benchmarks for California, 22nd Edition. William Monnin-Browder. April 2022. WC-22-01.