The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California released its 2022 WCIRB Geo Study, which underscores regional differences in claim characteristics across California.

Key findings include:

• Even after controlling for regional differences in wages and industry mix, indemnity claim frequency is significantly higher in the Los Angeles Basin and significantly lower in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• During the pandemic, indemnity claim frequency rose significantly in Orange County relative to the rest of the state and decreased significantly in Ventura and Santa Monica/San Fernando Valley.
• The share of cumulative trauma claims as a percent of all claims increased for all regions during the pandemic. The increase was largest in San Bernardino/West Riverside and LA/Long Beach, which also have high relative frequency of indemnity claims. It was also relatively high in the Bay Area and Sonoma/Napa, which saw decreases in the relative frequency of indemnity claims.

Read more