What percentage of workers with work-related illnesses receive workers' compensation benefits?
Authors
Biddle-J; Roberts-K; Rosenman-KD; Welch-EM
Source
J Occup Environ Med 1998 Apr; 40(4):325-331
Abstract
This study estimates the rate at which workers suffering from occupational illnesses file for workers' compensation lost wage benefits and identifies some of the factors that affect the probability that a worker with an occupational illness will file. A database of reports of known or suspected cases of occupational illness is matched with workers' compensation claims data. Overall, between 9% and 45% of reported workers file for benefits. Data limitations prevent a more precise estimate of this rate, but a large proportion of workers with occupational illnesses clearly does not utilize the worker's compensation system. Logit analysis of a choice-based sample shows that women and employees of small firms are more likely than others to file for worker's compensation and that filing rates vary considerably across industries and diagnostic categories. Acute conditions related to the current job are no more likely to lead to claims than chronic conditions with long latency periods between exposure and development of disease.
Keywords
Workers; Worker-health; Occupational-health-programs; Surveillance-programs; Chronic-degenerative-diseases; Occupational-diseases; Occupational-exposure; Statistical-analysis; Demographic-characteristics; Sex-factors
Document Type
Journal Article
Identifying No.
Grant-Number-R01-CCR-512124
Priority Area
Research Tools and Approaches: Health Services Research
Source Name
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Performing Organization
Michigan State University, Department of Medicine, East Lansing, Michigan
