A new report from the California Workers’ Compensation Institute states that 2011 has seen a record high average cost of workers’ compensation cases – $66,922.  The website Workforce.com has an article on this, reporting that 2011 saw an increase in the average indemnity costs of each claim.

The short and the long of it is that workers’ compensation costs are going up, steadily and consistently.  The gains made by employers and insurers in 2005 are steadily being chipped away.  The trend, since 2005, appears to be “declining frequency” and “increasing severity.”

Perhaps more reforms are necessary, with a particular focus on lien and medical expenses, to keep these costs from growing any more.  Perhaps practicing workers’ compensation attorneys need to be included in a meaningful way in any reforms that are produced.

Your humble blogger hates to be the bringer of bad news, but it ain’t looking good, folks.