CONNECTICUT Recession Doubles Job Related Injury Claims

Job-related injuries have nearly doubled over the last four years, apparently due to the recession.

The Connecticut Post reports first-injury claims by the state Workers’ Compensation Commission totaled 50,841 in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009. The figure was 26,992 for initial claims four years earlier.

A commission chairman overseeing 15 at-large commissioners who listen to thousands of contested workers’ comp cases each year, notes that while some of the increase is due to a change toward electronic filing of claims over the last 18 months, the majority of the rise is related to the economy.

“Contested claims can come from employees who may have done something to themselves on the job, but were possibly hesitant to file a claim because of concerns the employer might be in financial trouble,” he said. “Six months later the employer downsizes and at that point the employee might file a claim because they’ve been laid off. It may very well be legitimate on the part of the employee.”

Employers, dealing with their own financial issues, who, during better financial periods, let workers’ comp claims go and let their insurers pay without opposition, are not sitting by now without a fight.

“As the economy gets bad there are a lot more contests,” the chairman noted. “The employers are obviously concerned about their ability to stay in existence, so they pay more attention to employee illnesses and injuries.” The recession has also affected the insurance industry, now more likely to join in contesting workers’ claims. Insurance companies have downsized in recent years enormously, thereby leaving fewer claims adjusters, who are now handling a greater volume of cases. So there’s a tendency to not move on the part of those making decisions.” (workersxzcompxzkit)

The state’s Workers’ Compensation Commission oversees a number of hearings when injured employees and their bosses don’t see eye to eye. There were 51,601 first-stage, informal hearings in 2008-09, compared to 42,783 in 2004-05, according to commission annual reports to the General Assembly that are filed every September.

Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers’ Compensation costs, including airlines, health care, manufacturing, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. He can be contacted at: [email protected] or 860-553-6604.

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