Washington Pension System Review

Authors

Peter S. Barth, University of ConnecticutFollow
Heather Grob, Saint Martin's University
Henry George Harder, University of Northern British Columbia
H. Allan Hunt, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment ResearchFollow
Michael Silverstein, University of Washington

Series

Upjohn Institute Technical Report No. 08-025

DOI

10.17848/tr08-025

Issue Date

November 12, 2008

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the incidence of Total Permanent Disability (TPD) pensions in Washington State's workers' compensation program. Concerns exist at both the legislature and in the Department of Labor and Industries as there appears to have been a sharp upturn in the number of pensions awarded since late in the 1990s. This report examines the factors that may be causally related to any upsurge in such awards. Our task is to evaluate pension incidence for both the state fund and the self-insured populations, with a view towards identifying causes of the trend in both sectors, although we concentrate more on the state fund claims due to data limitations.

Sponsorship

Submitted to State of Washington, Dept. of Labor & Industries; L&I Contract No. K1018

Subject Areas

UNEMPLOYMENT, DISABILITY, and INCOME SUPPORT PROGRAMS; Workers compensation and disability; Benefits and financing; Disability