Job Market Paper
Understanding changes over time in the receipt of workers’ compensation benefits
Abstract: Workers’ compensation, the oldest social insurance program in the United States, continues to serve as an important safety net for the vast majority of the workforce. The program supports workers at a particularly vulnerable time: immediately after suffering an occupational injury or illness. Yet, despite this vital role, less is known about the program’s long-term trends. To understand these trends, I systematically investigated the reasons for the 43.6 percent decrease in the recipiency rate of cash benefits over the period from 2003 through 2018. I find that 68 percent of this decrease—29.5 percentage points—can be explained by improvements to workplace safety within industry sectors.
Working Papers
Spillovers from workers’ compensation to Social Security Disability Insurance: evidence from Oregon
Abstract: The two most important safety nets for workers suffering occupational injuries and illnesses are workers’ compensation programs and Social Security Disability Insurance. Workers’ compensation is the oldest social insurance program in the United States and Social Security Disability Insurance is the largest provider of cash benefits to individuals with a disability. The programs are linked because the injuries and illnesses that workers suffer can satisfy the requirements of both programs. In this paper, I examined the impact of an Oregon law (SB 757) that changed the calculation of a type of benefit provided under workers’ compensation called permanent partial disability. This study was designed to answer whether these changes led to spillover effects to applications for Social Security Disability Insurance. Using a difference-in-differences framework applied to data from the Social Security Administration, I did not find statistically significant results indicative of such effects.
Understanding changes over time in awards for workers’ compensation benefits: evidence from Oregon
(Draft Forthcoming)