The Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) announced that the total cost per workers’ compensation claim in Florida grew moderately between 2011 and 2016. All the key components of claim costs (medical payments per claim, indemnity benefits per claim, and benefit delivery expenses) experienced moderate increased between 3 and 5 percent during this time.

Compared to 17 other states compared in the “CompScope Benchmarks for Florida, 18^th Edition” study, Florida ranked in the middle for average cost per claim. The study analyzed claims with experience through March 2017.

The study also found that indemnity benefits in Florida were lower than typical of all the states studied due to differences in rules on temporary disability and impairment benefits. Though medical payments per claim were typical of the states studied, Florida had the highest prices paid for hospital outpatient care and the lowest for medical professional services. The state also had more frequent defense attorney involvement, with higher payments per claim. That was offset by slightly lower frequency and payments per claim for medical cost containment expenses. This resulted in the state enjoying typical benefit delivery expenses per claim.

In 2016 the Florida Supreme Court issued the Castellanos decision which declared the state’s mandatory attorney fee schedule in comp to be unconstitutional. They also issued the Westphal decision which ruled the state’s 104-week limit on temporary total disability benefits is unconstitutional. WCRI executive vice president and counsel Ramona Tanabe said that upcoming studies are going to monitor the impact of these rulings on the state’s workers’ compensation system.

Read the press release here.