Cambridge, MA, May 2, 2023 – The average total cost per claim in Illinois changed little between 2019 and 2021 for injuries evaluated as of the first quarter of 2022, according to a recent study published by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).

“Based on claims with 12–48 months of maturity, total costs per claim with more than seven days of lost time in Illinois have grown 2 percent per year since 2012. During the pandemic, between 2019 and 2021, the average total cost per claim in Illinois also changed little due to small increases in indemnity benefits per claim offset by decreases in medical payments per claim,” said Ramona Tanabe, president and CEO of WCRI. “Wages of workers with injuries in Illinois increased during the pandemic in Illinois. The average duration of temporary disability increased in 2020 and then decreased in 2020, and remained higher than the pre-pandemic levels.”     

The following are among the study’s other findings:

• The average total cost per claim in Illinois was 21 percent higher than the cost in the median study state for 2019 injuries evaluated as of the first quarter of 2022. Indemnity benefits were the largest component of total costs per claim in Illinois.
• A combination of factors contributed to higher-than-typical indemnity benefits per claim in Illinois—a higher weekly benefit maximum in Illinois compared with other study states, and longer duration of temporary disability benefits than most other study states.

The 23rd edition of CompScope™ Benchmarks for Illinois 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. Evelina Radeva 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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