Yesterday, I reported a study released by the National Academy of Social Insurance that reported that the number of employees covered by workers compensation declined by 4.4% from 2008 to 2009. The author of the study, John Burton, was quoted as saying “as one might expect, when the great recession hit, employers paid less in workers compensation costs because there were fewer employees to cover”. The workers compensation study also revealed that the total benefits paid to injured workers in 2009 increased in 23 states, but declined in the other 27 states (compared to 2008).
The Ohio workers compensation system is one of those declining states. In 2009 benefits declined 4.83%, and in fact benefits declined in 2010 3.97%. I have previously blogged about these documented statistics, and the fact that they prove Ohio’s workers compensation system is not out of control or in need of major reform.