The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) of California published a new report on Emerging Patterns of Cumulative Trauma Claims, which explores the qualities of cumulative trauma (CT) claims, which involve injuries that occur as a result of repetitive physically or mentally traumatic activities extending over a period of time.

According to the report, the proportion of claims involving cumulative trauma (CT) has increased sharply, while the frequency of non-CT claims has remained flat. Since 2020, total costs (pure premium) for CT claims have more than doubled, while costs for non-CT claims have increased by more than 30%. CT claims now account for roughly a quarter of total pure premium costs.

The share of CT claims filed post-termination has risen sharply, and these claims are highly likely to be litigated, driving significant increases in allocated loss adjustment expenses (ALAE) costs across the system. CT claims are also more likely to involve medical-legal and interpreter services early on, contributing significantly to increases in these medical costs for the system

Since 2021, changes in average indemnity and medical costs have been lower for CT claims than for non-CT claims, suggesting the increase in CT claims is dampening overall claim severity trends.

Other key highlights of the report include:

• One third of call CT claims have at least one companion claim
• Claims filed post-termination continue to have a longer average time to report
• Average time from accident date to initial service is longer for CT claims
• CT claims are more likely to have a primary diagnosis involving soft tissue disorders or mental and behavioral disorders
• CT claims are more likely to involve multiple body parts