To understand the impact of COVID-19 on the Texas Workers’ Compensation System, DWC issued a mandatory data call with 74 selected insurance carriers on June 2, 2020. After various extensions of the call, DWC released its final factsheet reflecting data as of April 30, 2023.
Key Findings
Insurance carriers reported nearly 100,000 COVID-19 claims and 472 fatalities to DWC. More than half of these claims (51%) and fatalities (55%) involved first responders and correctional officers.
More than two-thirds of all COVID-19 claims (72%) involved injured employees who tested positive or were diagnosed with COVID-19.
During the 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.
Insurance carriers denied less than half (39%) of COVID-19 positive test claims. Despite more than 27,000 denials of COVID-19 claims with positive tests or diagnoses, there were only 258 disputes filed with DWC as of April 30, 2023.
Nearly a quarter of claims (23%) that received professional or hospital/facility services received these services beyond one-month post-injury.
