The 19th edition of this study for Wisconsin helps policymakers and other system stakeholders identify current cost drivers and emerging trends in indemnity benefits, medical payments, and benefit delivery expenses. The study compares the performance of the Wisconsin workers’ compensation system with 17 other study states, focusing on

  • income benefits,
  • costs,
  • overall medical payments,
  • use of benefits,
  • duration of temporary disability,
  • benefit delivery expenses,
  • lump-sum settlements,
  • timeliness of payment, and
  • other metrics.

The study also examines how these system performance metrics have changed, mainly from 2012 to 2017, for claims at various claim maturities. Claims with experience through March 2018 for injuries up to and including 2017 were analyzed. In some cases, a longer time frame was used to supply historical context for key metrics, and where relevant, findings from other recent WCRI studies were included to provide a more comprehensive picture of the system in Pennsylvania.

CompScope™ Benchmarks for Wisconsin, 19th Edition. Sharon E. Belton. April 2019. WC-19-17.