Medical legal study
Background
Reform legislation changes to medical-legal evaluations were intended to reduce
both the cost and the frequency of litigation, which drive up the price of workers'
compensation insurance to employers and lead to long delays in case resolution
and the delivery of benefits to injured workers. In 1995, the Commission initiated a project to determine the impact of the
workers' compensation reform legislation on the workers' compensation medical-legal
evaluations. CHSWC contracted with the Survey Research Center at UC Berkeley
to carry out this study. Description The study analyses are based upon the permanent disability claim survey, a
set of data created each year by the Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating
Bureau (WCIRB) at the request of the Legislature to evaluate the 1989 reforms.
The WCIRB data summarizes accident claim activity, including such measures as
degree of impairment, the type and cost of specialty exams, whether the case
was settled and, if so, the method of settlement employed. Findings The initial reports determined that
Status The Medical-legal study was initiated in 1995 and is ongoing. Further information