Cambridge, MA, May 30, 2023 – Medical payments per workers' compensation claim in Virginia at 12 months of maturity decreased 5.6 percent between 2019 and 2020 and 7.9 percent between 2020 and 2021, according to a recent study published by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).

“These changes reflect the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the workers’ compensation system in the state,” said Ramona Tanabe, WCRI’s president and CEO. “Our analysis found that changes in utilization of medical care were the main factors behind the decrease in medical payments in 2020.”

The following are among the study’s other findings:

• Between 2016 and 2021, Virginia indemnity payments per claim at 12 months’ maturity grew 2.7 percent per year.
• Virginia indemnity benefit payments per claim with more than seven days of lost time were higher than the median of the 17 study states.
• The average total payments per claim in Virginia captured at 12 months’ maturity decreased 12 percent between 2016 and 2021.

The 23rd edition of CompScope™ Benchmarks for Virginia provides ongoing annual monitoring of how indemnity benefits, medical payments, and benefit delivery expenses per claim in the state’s workers’ compensation system change over time, and how these metrics compare with 16 other states.

To learn more about this study or to purchase a copy, visit https://www.wcrinet.org/reports/compscope-benchmarks-for-virginia-23rd-edition. Bogdan Savych authored this study.

About WCRI

The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) is an independent, not-for-profit research organization based in Cambridge, MA. Organized in late 1983, the Institute does not take positions on the issues it researches; rather, it provides information obtained through studies and data collection efforts, which conform to recognized scientific methods. Objectivity is further ensured through rigorous, unbiased peer review procedures. WCRI's diverse membership includes employers; insurers; governmental entities; managed care companies; health care providers; insurance regulators; state labor organizations; and state administrative agencies in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

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