New Rand Corporation Study commissioned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Evaluates Overall Performance of Workers’ Compensation System

• In a new Rand Corporation study commissioned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the subject of issues and performancde of the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation system were examined in detail and are available on line to the public at http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_paper/2008/RAND_OP216pdf along with a summary only at http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/2008/RAND_OP216.sum/pdf.

  The focus and constant inquiry of the study is whether the legislative amendments of 1993, 1996 and 2006 have done their job to contain medical costs, control indemnity expenditures, and speed litigation, while adequately protecting the rights of workers who are the focus of the system.

  Although the findings were measured in tone, the key findings are that the Pennsylvania system: does not appear to be [one]… in crisis, or one in which employer costs are spiraling rapidly out of control.” In fact, the study shows that Pennsylania’s workers’ compensation medical costs are relatively low compared to a number of other states.

  On the issue of dispute resolution, some of the conclusions are:

  adjudication is more prompt in an era where work injuries and deaths are on the decline

• serial hearings are preferable to one day/one trial hearing procedures
• requiring trial depositions increases litigation costs and time to adjudication