Message from the CEO

At the time of this writing (3/31/2022), we are two years into the COVID-19 pandemic. In early March 2020, we could not imagine the disruption the pandemic would cause in all aspects of our lives, nor the changes that will endure in the way we work and on workers’ compensation. WCRI has begun and will continue to track these impacts on the delivery of benefits to those injured at work.

In 2021, we published studies that provided an early look at the impact of COVID-19 on workers’ compensation claims composition and the delivery of medical care in workers’ compensation. We also published a popular and timely study on telemedicine. Our benchmarking studies began to capture the impact of the virus on state workers’ compensation systems and future editions will show us the full impact.

Even though the pandemic was the focus for most state workers’ compensation systems and our members, our work on other aspects of the systems continued to have impact, being cited in hearings and reports. We continued to share our research findings at online and in-person conferences, webinars, and in briefings to policymakers across the country.

We are well-positioned and prepared to continue studying the impact of the pandemic, as well as other factors influencing workers’ compensation systems. In future work, we will track long-COVID-19 claims, changes in how medical care is delivered and claims are affected by labor market disruptions, and changes in the way we work.

We look forward to providing policymakers and all system stakeholders with the sound research, credible data, and objective analysis that contribute to an informed debate — while avoiding taking positions or making policy recommendations.

The last two years have been an extremely challenging time for our members. We cannot thank them enough for their generous support of our research through their data, funding, and expertise during this difficult, but vital time for research.

Stay safe,

John Ruser, Ph.D.
President and CEO