Uncompensated consequences of workplace injuries and illness: long-term disability and early termination

Costs related to early retirement, termination, or long-term disability could fall outside workers' compensation (WC).

Statistical models examined early retirement, long-term disability status, or early termination related to WC claims.

The WC-associated early-termination rate ratio was 1.20 (95% CI=1.14-1.28) for hourly nonunion employees, 1.05 (95% CI=0.97-1.13) for hourly union employees, and 3.43 (95% CI=3.11-3.79) for salaried nonunion employees. In the manufacturing-durable sector the WC-associated rate ratio was 1.58 (95% CI=1.42-1.76) for hourly nonunion employees and 1.23 (95% CI=1.10-1.38) for union hourly employees. In contrast, in transportation-utilities-communications, the rate ratio was 0.52 (95% CI=0.46-0.59) for hourly nonunion and 1.22 (95% CI=1.08-1.38) for union hourly employees.

Uncompensated costs of workplace injuries and illnesses may result from adverse events previously compensated by WC. In some workplaces reduced termination rates with prior WC suggests added costs to employers.

Conditions leading to WC claims have cost implications related to early - or delayed - removal from the workforce.

Additional costs from work-related injury or illness that are not covered by workers compensation may result from the effect of continuing impairment on the subsequent early termination (or prolonging) of employment. These costs would accrue to both employers and employees and are not generally included in global estimates of the burden of workplace injuries and illnesses.