In this 30-minute recorded webinar, Evelina Radeva discussed findings from the WCRI study Trends in the Delaware Workers’ Compensation System, 2015–2020. In 2014, Delaware passed HB 373, which made changes to the workers’ compensation medical reimbursement system. This report examines the performance of the Delaware workers’ compensation system after the 2014 statutory changes. The goals of the reforms were primarily to reduce medical costs, create a workers’ compensation system that is more efficient, and make Delaware an attractive place for businesses.

The webinar addressed the following questions:

• What impact did the 2014 legislation have on total costs per claim?
• Did the 2014 legislation achieve its goal of lowering medical payments per claim?
• How did medical utilization and the duration of temporary disability change in 2020 during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic?
• What were the changes in prescription drug payments per claim between 2015 and 2020?

The study examines total claim costs, medical payments, indemnity benefits, disability duration, benefit delivery expenses, timeliness of benefit payments to workers, and other metrics. It analyzes how these metrics of system performance have changed over time from 2015 to 2020 (at various claim maturities), with payments made through March 2021. The report also discusses the impact of COVID-19 on workers’ compensation claims in the early months of the pandemic in 2020.

Click here to watch a recording of the website. Click here to download the slides.

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