What is Workers’ Compensation?
Workers’ compensation is the system used to provide wage replacement, medical, and rehabilitation benefits to workers who suffer a work-related injury or illness. A work-related injury is any injury that happens on the job. It can be the result of a specific event or happen over time. An example of an injury from a specific event is when an individual falls off a ladder and breaks a bone. An example of an injury that occurs over time is a sprain that developed because of the repetitive nature of the job.
A work-related illness is any illness where work caused, significantly contributed to the cause, or aggravated the illness. Work-related illnesses are the result of exposure to something at the workplace. Work-related illnesses often develop after a longer period of time but can also happen from a one-time exposure.
Who is covered?
The Workers' Disability Compensation Act covers most Michigan employers. Employers must buy an insurance policy from a private insurance company or be self-insured. This requirement makes sure there is payment for claims and costs.
Groups not covered:
- Federal employees
- Railroad employees
- Seamen on navigable waters
- Workers who load and unload water vessels
- Private employers with less than three workers or who have one worker with less than 35 hours per week for less than 13 weeks
- Self-employed
Only wage replacement claims of covered workers are computerized so the data doesn’t include:
- Workers off work for less than seven days
- Workers who only received medical or rehabilitation benefits
- Workers with injuries or illnesses who are assigned a different job at work while they are
- Workers not covered by the Workers’ Disability Compensation Act
- Workers, who although qualified, do not file a wage loss claim or a claim for a specific loss
- Workers denied wage loss or specific loss claims recovering from their injury or illness
Workers' Compensation claim data are known not to capture the total burden of work-related injuries and illnesses in a population, particularly long-latency illnesses such as cancer or pneumoconiosis that occur in retirees. The data base does not include the conditions that led to the work-related injury or illness.
The interactive web site MDHHS - Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses can be used to examine both the number of paid claims and the rate of paid claims by:
- Small, medium and large employers
- Type of injury
- Year (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and combined)
- Age groups
- Gender
- Industry type
- County
Resources:
- Workers' Compensation Claims in Michigan for COVID-19
- Opioid Prescriptions for Individuals Receiving Workers' Compensation in Michigan
- Use of Michigan Workers' Compensation Data for Surveillance of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
MSU Workers' Compensation Data Tracking Project
Recreate the data tracking project described in Preparing Work-Related Injuries and Illness Data for MiTracking using the tools listed below: