BWC Studying Mutualizing COVID-19 Claim Costs

This week, the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s (BWC) Actuarial Committee had a first reading of a proposed rule change to exclude COVID-19 claims costs from an employer’s experience rating calculation.

An executive summary provided by the bureau noted that experience rating is intended to measure an employer’s success in maintaining a safe workplace. Further stating that using COVID-19 claims as an indicator of safety and a predictor of future claims is unreliable and that when catastrophes (e.g. a pandemic) arise, they generally have been excluded from the experience rating process.

Here’s a snapshot of COVID-19 claims filed with the BWC from March 11, 2020 to May 17, 2021. 5/27/2021