Applied Underwriters, Foster City, California: 2021 Workers' Compensation Almanac

April 1st, 2021

Total 214 words used.

The Workers’ Compensation Almanac is an annual publication prepared and distributed by Applied Underwriters. Our eighth volume was published in 2021. The bound book is distributed at no cost to over 59,000 insurance agents and brokers with whom we do business and handed out at over 35 insurance industry trade shows. A digital version is also available on our agent portal: www.bigdoghq.com.

Our Workers’ Compensation Almanac is the insurance industry’s essential guide to everything worth investigating in the world of workers’ compensation, including articles and charts covering the current years’ market trends, legislation, and other interesting analysis. But content is not all analytical: The Almanac also includes challenging puzzles and fascinating factoids, while offering readers the chance to earn prizes when engaging with Almanac content. There are quizzes throughout the book accessible via a QR code, where readers answer questions related to article topics and are entered to win a variety of premium Applied branded swag.

Recipients look forward to receiving their Almanac in the mail each year. In fact, we receive so many agent requests for extra copies to distribute to their clients and co-workers, we always print 15 percent surplus for additional fulfillment.

• Creative Director: Nate Wells
• Designer: Pete Gascoyne
• Other Contributors (Copy Editors): Sheila Gallagher and Sadie Brewer

Total 297 words used.

COVID-19 Pushes Telemedicine into the Mainstream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Workers’ Compensation and the At-Home Employee: What are the Risks? . . . . . . . . 16
U.S. Workplaces and Telework Breakdown by Size Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Defining “Work-Related” Illness in a Pandemic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
COVID-19 Legal Cases and Effects on Workers’ Compensation Claims . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Survey Says? The Pandemic and Motor Vehicle Accidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Fewer MVA Injury Claims in 2020? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Lost-Time Frequency of Motor Vehicle Accidents Versus All Claims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Miles Driven by Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
OSHA Issues Over $3 Million in Fines for Pandemic-Related Violations . . . . . . . . . . . .29
OSHA COVID-19 Violations and Penalties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Direct Written Workers’ Compensation Premium
in the Contiguous United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Schedule Rating Limits by State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Survey Says? The Potential for Wearable Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Wearable Technology Holds Promise for Detection of Workplace Injuries . . . . . . . . 39
Survey Says? How Artificial Intelligence Could Change the Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
How AI Helps Combat Workers’ Compensation Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Workers’ Compensation Insurance Cost per $100 of Payroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Average Workers’ Compensation Rate per State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
How States Fight Insurance Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Workers’ Compensation Costs by Cause of Accident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Workers’ Compensation Costs by Nature of Injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Workers’ Compensation Costs by Part of Body Injured . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Changes to California’s AB 5 Law Reflect the Ongoing Struggle to Define “Workers” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Using Social Media to Detect Workers’ Compensation Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Claim Type Distribution by State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Claim Type Distribution—Nationwide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Anagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Interesting Workers’ Compensation Cases from 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Off-Duty Medical Marijuana Use and Employment Protections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Workers’ Compensation Aggregates and Averages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Direct Written Workers’ Compensation Premium by State by Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Crossword Puzzle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Rates in Interesting Class Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Spot the Phony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Distribution of Premium by Premium Range by State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Distribution of Premium by Premium Range—Nationwide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
(See the digital almanac to view the full index)