The COVID-19 pandemic has hit communities all around the globe. The outbreak has been a challenge for employers. According to the California Workers’ Compensation Institute, more than 166,000 COVID-19 related workers’ compensation claims have been filed in the state as of November 1, 2021. The top industry for COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims are as follows:
- Health Care: 46,941 claims (30%)
- Public Safety: 28,905 claims (18.5%)
- Retail: 16,103 claims (10.3%)
- Manufacturing: 11,235 claims (7.2%)
- Transportation: 10,815 claims (6.9%)
- Food Services: 7,741 claims (4.8%)
- Waste Management: 6,199 claims (4%)
That being said, the workplace safety news is not all bad. According to reporting from the Insurance Journal, work injury hospital stays have dropped in the state since the start of the pandemic. Here, our Fresno workers’ compensation defense attorney discusses the findings from the California Workers’ Compensation Institute.
Work Injury Hospitalizations Were Down by Nearly 20% Last Year
Despite a massive number of COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims, the number of work-related hospitalizations dropped by 17.2% in California in 2020. It is the sharpest year-of-year decrease on record. Workers’ compensation-related hospitalizations for respiratory problems did spike last year—likely because of COVID-19. However, other types of workplace accidents decreased. The data shows the work-related surgical admissions to California hospital fell by 20% in 2020.
A Positive Trend on COVID-19 Workers Compensation Claims in California
There have been several waves of the COVID-19 virus in California. The waves can be seen within the COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims data. When the virus first hit California, there was an initial wave of claims. There was then a spike in the Summer of 2020—with 12,541 claims in June of last year and 15,582 claims in July of last year. In the Fall of 2020, COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims dropped by nearly 70%.
Unfortunately, there was a large spike in December of 2020 and January of 2021, with a peak of 44,024 virus-related workers’ compensation filings in the single month. With a rise in vaccines, the number of workers’ compensation claims fell to just 740 in May of 2021. However, the wave caused by the Delta variant caused another jump in cases—with nearly 8,000 workers filing for benefits in August of 2021. The good news is that COVID-19 claims have fallen by more than 50% since that time.
Get Help From Our Fresno Workers’ Compensation Defense Law Firm
At Yrulegui & Roberts, we are driven to provide proactive, solutions-centered legal guidance to our clients. If you have any questions about COVID-19 and workers’ compensation claims, we are ready to help. Contact us now for immediate legal assistance. From our legal offices located in Bakersfield, Sacramento, and Fresno, our lawyers offer workers’ compensation defense services throughout the region, including in Fresno County, Merced County, Mariposa County, Tuolumne County, and Kings County.
