The Latest Georgia Workers' Comp Claim Statistics

Georgia workers’ compensation law requires every employer with 3 or more employees to cover an employee with certain benefits if they’re injured on the job. The Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation publishes a very informative guide to benefits. Briefly, they include:

• Medical benefits, including payment of bills for an extensive list of medical and hospital care, therapy and rehabilitation
• Disability benefits generally equal to two-thirds of an injured employee’s weekly wages for a period between 350 and 400 weeks
• Death benefits paid to a deceased employee’s family

National statistics on workers’ comp injuries

The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) reported that the total number of national workplace injuries and illnesses in 2020 averaged 2.8 per 100 full-time workers.

Reported workplace fatalities suggest national trends. There were 4,764 workplace fatalities in 2020 or 3.4 per 100,000 full-time workers—the lowest number of workplace fatalities since 2013.

Transportation and warehousing ranked 1st among workplace fatalities. Construction ranked 2nd with the most deaths in its industry since 2012.

The top causes of fatalities in 2020 were:

• 37.3 percent from transportation accidents
• 17 percent from falls
• 15 percent from contact with objects and equipment
• 15 percent from assaults and violence
• 14 percent from exposure to harmful substances or environments
• 1.4 percent from fires and explosions

Costs of workers’ compensation claims were reported by nature of the injury, with amputations having the highest national average cost for 2019 at $113,695. The next highest costs were for injuries resulting in fracture, crush or dislocation ($59,749), other trauma ($59,298) and burns ($53,416).

Claims costs were reported according to the body part injured. Head and central nervous systems injuries ranked highest, averaging $86,347 in 2019. The next highest costs were injuries to multiple body parts ($71,437), hips, thighs and pelvis ($60,082), legs ($59,683), neck ($58,507), arms and shoulders ($47,827), and chest or organs ($42,598).

Georgia workers’ comp statistics

The Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation publishes an annual report that breaks down Georgia statistics by several categories.

The 2020 Annual Report showed:

• Total number of indemnity claims (claims made for damages of loss) = 31,500
• Total indemnity benefits = $706,673,059
• Total medical paid on indemnity claims = $641,141,321
• Total number of medical-only claims = 75,308
• Total medical-only benefits paid = $122,133,725

The statistics reported for 2019 were consistent with 2020 numbers except for greater medical benefits paid.

When to contact a workers’ compensation attorney

The trends of national and Georgia workers’ compensation statistics show that employers are making some progress in reducing workplace injuries and deaths. However, workplace injuries continue to be a major problem, costing Georgia employers, insurers and state workers' comp agencies—not to mention injured workers—hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.

If you need assistance filing your workers’ compensation claim, contact the experienced workers’ comp attorneys at Gerber & Holder Workers’ Compensation Attorneys. We have more than 75 years of combined experience in workers’ compensation lawsuits. Our attorneys know the ins and outs of workers’ comp law and can help make sure you get the compensation you deserve. Contact us for your free consultation today.