Insurance Daily News

NCCI Report: Age and Gender Impact Workers' Comp Claims

A recent report from the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) highlights significant shifts in workers' compensation claims. The data indicates that employees aged 65 and older now require 21% more medical care on average compared to their younger counterparts. This trend coincides with a notable demographic shift in the workforce: the proportion of lost-time claims involving workers 65 and older has doubled, rising from 4% in 2012 to 8% in 2025.

The analysis suggests that these increases are not simply due to age or gender. Instead, researchers point to a combination of factors, including the specific types of injuries sustained, the presence of pre-existing comorbidities, and the nature of the work performed. For instance, a slip-and-fall incident might result in a minor bruise for a younger employee but a fracture for an older worker, necessitating more intensive medical intervention. Similarly, the report found that claims involving male workers require 28% more medical care than those involving female workers, a disparity largely linked to the different industries where men and women are typically employed.

From an analytical perspective, this study underscores the importance of granular data when assessing risk. For organizations managing laboratory informatics or workforce safety software, these findings suggest that predictive models must account for job-specific injury patterns and existing health conditions rather than relying on broad demographic categories. As the workforce ages, companies should watch how these demographic shifts influence insurance premiums and safety protocols. The NCCI report serves as a reminder that understanding the root causes of medical utilization—such as injury severity and industry-specific hazards—is critical for accurate forecasting in occupational health and safety management.

Why it matters

Understanding that injury severity and job type, rather than age or gender alone, drive medical costs is essential for developing accurate risk assessment and safety software models.

FAQ

How much more medical care do workers 65 and older require?
On average, claims involving workers aged 65 and older require 21% more medical care than claims involving younger workers.

What is the primary driver of medical utilization differences?
The report attributes differences primarily to injury diagnoses, treated comorbidities, and the types of jobs performed, rather than age or gender alone.

How has the share of lost-time claims for older workers changed?
The share of lost-time claims involving workers aged 65 and older doubled from 4% in 2012 to 8% in 2025.

Source: Business Insurance. See the original source for full details.