Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Workers' Compensation System (workers' + compensation_system)
Selected AbstractsLong-Term Adjustment to Work-Related Low Back Pain: Associations with Socio-demographics, Claim Processes, and Post-Settlement AdjustmentPAIN MEDICINE, Issue 8 2009John T. Chibnall PhD ABSTRACT Objective., Predict long-term adjustment (pain intensity, pain-related catastrophizing, and pain-related disability) from socio-demographic, claim process, and post-settlement adjustment variables in a cohort of 374 Workers' Compensation low back claimants. Methods., Age- and gender-matched subsamples of African Americans and Caucasians were randomly selected for long-term follow-up (6 years post-settlement) from a larger, existing cohort of Workers' Compensation low back claimants in Missouri. Computer-assisted telephone interviews were used to assess pain, catastrophizing, and disability. Path analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to predict long-term adjustment from socio-demographic variables (race, gender, age, and socioeconomic status), Workers' Compensation claim process variables (surgery, diagnosis, claim duration, treatment costs, settlement awards, and disability rating), and adjustment at baseline. Results., Poorer long-term adjustment (higher levels of pain, catastrophizing, and pain-related disability) was significantly predicted by relatively poorer adjustment at baseline, lower socioeconomic status, and African American race. African American race associations were also mediated through lower socioeconomic status. Higher levels of occupational disability, as measured by long-term rates of unemployment and social security disability, were also predicted by African American race (in addition to age and claim process factors). Conclusion., Long-term adjustment to low back pain in this cohort of Workers' Compensation claimants was stable, relative to short-term adjustment soon after settlement. Long-term adjustment was worse for people of lower socioeconomic status, particularly for economically disadvantaged African Americans, suggesting the possibility of race- and class-based disparities in the Workers' Compensation system. [source] Evaluating Permanent Disability Ratings Using Empirical Data on Earnings LossesJOURNAL OF RISK AND INSURANCE, Issue 1 2010Jayanta Bhattacharya Workers' compensation systems are typically designed to assign higher permanent disability benefits to workers with more severe disabilities. However, little or no scientific work exists to guide the design of ratings systems to properly account for the amount of earnings power lost due to disability. In this article, we examine the effectiveness of disability ratings using matched administrative data on ratings and earnings for a large, representative sample of permanent disability claimants in California. We find that while workers with higher ratings do experience larger earnings losses on average, there are large and persistent differences in average earnings losses for similarly rated impairments in different parts of the body. We then explore how adjusting permanent disability ratings to reflect cross-impairment differences in earnings losses can affect the equity of permanent disability benefits. Adjusting disability ratings to account for typical earnings losses reduces cross-impairment differences substantially. The adjusted ratings result in a more equitable distribution of disability benefits across workers with different impairments. [source] Physician Shopping in Workers' Compensation: Evidence from CaliforniaJOURNAL OF EMPIRICAL LEGAL STUDIES, Issue 1 2006Seth A. Seabury Physician evaluations of impairment severity have a significant impact on the size of permanent disability benefits awarded to injured workers in workers' compensation. This gives both parties in a disputed claim the incentive to "shop" for physicians who will provide them with sympathetic evaluations. In this article we use data from the California workers' compensation system on competing physician evaluations for the same injury to study the extent to which the ability to select a physician results in a more favorable disability rating. We find that disability ratings based on evaluations from physicians selected by the applicant are 23 percent higher than those based on a neutral evaluation, while ratings based on a defense physician's evaluation tend to be about 5 percent lower. Moreover, we match these data to earnings loss data and estimate the extent to which applicant, defense, or neutral ratings best predict the outcomes of injured workers. The neutral ratings appear to do the best job of predicting earnings losses overall, though not by a substantial margin. [source] Latino worker perceptions of construction risks,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2010Nancy Nivison Menzel PhD Abstract Background Construction is a hazardous occupation, with Latino (Hispanic) workers at a greater risk for death than other ethnicities/races. Latinos accounted for over half of construction injuries involving days away from work in Nevada in 2006. Methods This study recruited 30 Latino construction workers from three Southern Nevada trade unions to participate in four focus groups conducted in Spanish to determine their perceived risks for injury. Audiotapes were transcribed into English transcripts, which were analyzed for themes. Results Themes included language/communication difficulties, traditional Latino values, construction trade skill level differences, and health literacy. Participants were unfamiliar with the workers' compensation system. Conclusions Small contractors in particular should provide more effective safety training in Spanish and appropriate safety equipment. Unions should offer English language training using simulation and more information about workers' compensation rights. Occupational health providers should consider Latino beliefs and communication needs when assessing health status or providing care. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:179,187 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The Workers' Compensation System: Worker friend or foe?AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2004Lee Strunin PhD Abstract Background The workers' compensation system was designed to help injured workers who have substantial medical expenses and perhaps have lost a great deal of income. This study determines both similarities and differences in how workers experience their interactions with the workers' compensation systems in Florida and Wisconsin. Methods Ethnographic open-ended interviews with 204 workers from Florida and 198 workers in Wisconsin were conducted. All the workers had back injuries in 1990 and were either paid workers' compensation temporary disability benefits for at least 4 weeks or received permanent disability benefits or compromise settlements. Results Some interactions with the workers' compensation system were positive. However, the majority of respondents in both states experienced their encounters with the workers' compensation system as cumbersome, frustrating, and demeaning. Conclusions Mistrust, stigmatization, payment delays, and refusal of insurer personnel to pay benefits contribute to workers' negative experiences with the workers' compensation system. These insurer behaviors raise the costs to injured workers of workers' compensation benefits and thus may reduce the propensity of eligible workers to apply for benefits. Am. J. Ind. Med. 45:338,345, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||