Today, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) released the 2021 WCIRB Geo Study, which underscores regional differences in claim characteristics across California. The web-based interactive map allows you to quickly view key measures across regions.

The study, related exhibits and mapping of nine-digit zip codes to the regions referenced in the study are available in the Research section of the WCIRB website and at the following link:

• 2021 WCIRB Geo Study

The study’s key findings include the following:

• Even after controlling for regional differences in wages and industry mix, indemnity claim frequency is significantly higher in the Los Angeles (LA) Basin and significantly lower in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• The share of cumulative trauma claims as a percent of all claims is highest in the Santa Monica/San Fernando Valley and LA/Long Beach regions. In general, the share of cumulative trauma claims is higher in Southern California regions, and that gap has generally widened over time.
• The share of open indemnity claims has decreased substantially in all regions since 2013. The largest decreases have been in the LA Basin regions that had the highest initial open indemnity claim shares.
• Over 55 percent of COVID-19 indemnity claims are from the health care sector, with the highest shares in the Sacramento and Imperial/Riverside regions.

WCIRB Research Forum Webinar

The WCIRB will host a free webinar to discuss the 2021 Geo Study. Click on the registration link below to sign up.

2021 WCIRB Geo Study
Tuesday, November 30, 2021, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT
Presenters: Dave Bellusci, WCIRB Executive Vice President and Chief Actuary; and Laura Carstensen, WCIRB Vice President, Actuarial Research
REGISTER NOW>

For those unable to attend the live webinar, a recording will be posted in the Research section of the WCIRB website following the event.