Premium
How many injured workers do not file claims for workers' compensation benefits?
Author(s) -
Shan Harry S.,
Lowe Graham S.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.10142
Subject(s) - medicine , workers' compensation , occupational safety and health , logistic regression , compensation (psychology) , work (physics) , occupational injury , occupational medicine , injury prevention , human factors and ergonomics , family medicine , environmental health , poison control , actuarial science , social psychology , business , psychology , pathology , mechanical engineering , engineering
Background Anecdotal evidence suggests that there are injured workers who do not file for workers' compensation (WC). Several recent studies support this, and we aim to quantify the extent of under‐reporting. Methods A Canadian survey asked about work injuries in the previous year, and several questions established eligibility for WC and whether a claim had been filed. The proportion of eligible injuries with a claim was estimated. Logistic regression identified predictors of claim submission. Results Of 2,500 respondents, 143 had incurred an eligible injury, of whom 57 (40%, 95% CI 32–48%) had not filed a WC claim. Severity of injury was the strongest predictor of not claiming. Conclusions Survey respondents reported a substantial degree of under‐claiming of WC benefits, contrasting with public attention on fraudulent over‐claiming. Policy makers should ensure that all relevant parties are aware of their obligations to report work injuries. This will create a more accurate picture of work safety. Am. J. Ind. Med. 42:467–473, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.