Impact of PTSD on Workers’ Comp Costs

Mental health disorders have emerged as a potentially significant factor in workers’ compensation.

This article focuses on potential impacts that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental health condition that some people develop after they experience a shocking, scary, or dangerous event, may have on WC system costs.

In recent years, there has been an increase in legislative activity across the country to broaden or establish eligibility for WC benefits for PTSD.

The momentum of such measures has grown, and could be accelerated somewhat, given the spotlight the COVID-19 pandemic has cast on the potential for workers to contract PTSD from their employment—particularly in the healthcare field.

In this paper, we review examples of WC benefit eligibility criteria for PTSD, available data and the potential impact of PTSD on overall WC costs, including possible effects stemming from the pandemic and other stressors.