Mental health claims are receiving increasing attention, but questions remain about their frequency, treatment patterns, costs, and disability outcomes. This study examines mental health claims in workers’ compensation from 2015 to 2024, providing new evidence on the characteristics, treatment, costs, and disability outcomes associated with these claims.

The study focuses on claims in which the primary diagnosis was a mental health condition, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), adjustment disorders, other stress reactions, anxiety disorders, and depressive disorders. It does not include claims in which a physical injury was the primary diagnosis and a mental or behavioral health condition developed or was treated afterward.

Mental Health Claims in Workers’ Compensation: A Multistate Analysis. Vennela Thumula, Sebastian Negrusa, Te-Chun Liu, and Randall D. Lea. September 2026. WC-26-37.

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