View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2020/07/13/575368.htm

California Workers’ Comp Self-Insured Claims Flat in 2019, But Incurred Losses Rose $35M

California workers’ compensation private self-insured claim frequency was relatively stable in 2019 as the incidence of medical-only and lost-time claims registered only marginal declines after increasing in 2017 and 2018, according to a California Workers’ Compensation Institute review of the latest data compiled by the state Office of Self-Insurance Plans.

Initial results for 2019 show the number of new claims reported by the state’s private self-insured employers rose 2.4% last year as the pre-pandemic economic boom resulted in record employment, according to the CWCI review.

Medical and indemnity payments on those claims through the end of the year totaled $252.8 million, or 6% more than the comparable figure for 2018 claims. Meanwhile, the initial incurred losses on 2019 claims totaled $694 million, up $35.4 million, or 5.1 percent more than the initial incurred amount reported for 2018 claims, reflecting the higher claim volume, a 1% increase in average incurred medical, and a 6.2% increase in the average incurred indemnity, CWCI reported.

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