DWC Updates COVID-19 Data Call Results
To understand the impact of COVID-19 on the Texas workers’ compensation system, on June 2, 2020, DWC issued a mandatory data call with 74 selected insurance carriers.
DWC, through the Workers’ Compensation Research & Evaluation Group, has released an updated factsheet with results as of February 2023.
Key findings are as follows:
COVID-19 claims: As of February 5, 2023, insurance carriers reported nearly 98,000 COVID-19 claims and 468 fatalities to DWC. A little more than half of these claims and fatalities involve first responders and correctional officers.
Claims with positive test or diagnosis: More than two-thirds of all claims (70%) involved injured employees who tested positive or were diagnosed with COVID-19.
Denials and disputes: Insurance carriers denied less than half (38%) of COVID-19 positive test claims. Despite more than 25,000 denials of COVID-19 claims with positive tests or diagnoses, there were only 239 disputes filed with DWC as of February 5, 2023.
COVID-19 claims with benefits: During the COVID-19 pandemic slightly more than one-third (34%) of COVID-19 claims filed had medical or indemnity benefit payments associated with them. Most of the benefits paid on COVID-19 claims were indemnity benefits.
Claims with post-COVID conditions: Nearly a quarter of claims (23%) that received professional or hospital/facility services received these services beyond one month post-injury.
The latest factsheet can be found at the TDI website at the following link: https://www.tdi.texas.gov/wc/information/documents/covid19txwc0323.pdf.
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