Sentry’s Injured Worker Well-being Report Highlights Crucial Link Between Behavioral Health and Recovery Outcomes

Sentry Insurance’s 2024 Injured Worker Well-being Report offers compelling insights into the intricate relationship between behavioral health and the recovery outcomes of workers’ compensation claims. The report analyzed over 45,000 claims from 2012 to 2019, focusing on claims open from 90 days to a year, revealing that behavioral health conditions are associated with longer absences from work and slower claim resolution.

The analysis identified three primary behavioral health conditions: chronic pain, chronic pain with medication, and psychosocial factors, which include psychological and social barriers that hinder recovery. Sentry’s data shows that workers with these conditions had markedly longer recovery times and faced additional hurdles that impacted their ability to return to work efficiently.

Key findings of the report also highlighted the economic impact, noting that claims involving behavioral health concerns accounted for a significant portion of total workers’ compensation costs. The report advocates for a shift in how we approach the well-being of injured workers, suggesting that addressing these issues early could improve recovery times, reduce costs, and decrease the likelihood of litigation.

Sentry suggests integrating more comprehensive behavioral health resources into workers’ compensation management, such as telephonic nurse case management, virtual reality therapy, and professional counseling, which could provide much-needed support and potentially transform recovery processes for injured workers.