2021 Regulatory and Legislative Trends Report Includes Key Trends on COVID-19
August 24, 2021 (BOCA RATON, FL)—Public policymakers continue to address the challenges to workers compensation due to COVID-19, according to the 2021 Regulatory and Legislative Trends Report from the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI).
NCCI tracked COVID-19 workers compensation presumption and compensability-related legislation in approximately 30 states, the District of Columbia, and at the federal level. Many of the bills proposed to establish presumptions that the contraction of or exposure to COVID-19 arises out of and in the course and scope of employment and is a compensable injury or disease.
This year, several states that enacted COVID-19 presumption legislation in 2020 took additional action to extend and/or expand those presumptions. Other states considered establishing new workers compensation presumptions for COVID-19 for certain workers.
In addition, several states proposed legislation this year to create workers compensation presumptions that could be applicable beyond the current COVID-19 pandemic. At least a dozen states considered legislation that would establish workers compensation presumptions for infectious diseases and pandemics.
“This timely report shares the latest on how workers compensation legislative, regulatory, and judicial trends are evolving,” said Bill Donnell, President and CEO, NCCI. “These are important updates for system stakeholders, with insights on implications for workers, employers, insurers, and others in the workers compensation arena.”
NCCI’s comprehensive legislative and regulatory report tracks other key workers compensation issues including workplace-related mental injuries, the legalization of marijuana and reimbursement for medical marijuana in workers compensation, single-payer health insurance proposals, and the classification of certain workers as employees or independent contractors.
NCCI notes that, as of July 31 of this year, states have enacted 150 workers compensation-related bills and have adopted 91 new workers compensation-related regulations. NCCI has monitored almost 940 state and federal workers compensation-related bills and over 230 workers compensation-related regulations so far in 2021, according to the report.
“NCCI provides this annual report to keep you informed about emerging trends and hot topics impacting workers compensation,” said Laura Kersey, author of the report and NCCI Division Executive—Regulatory & Legislative Analysis. “This report, along with our Legislative Activity site, Court Case Insights tracker, and COVID-19 Resource Center are just some of the resources available to help industry stakeholders make informed decisions.”
The 2021 Regulatory and Legislative Trends Report is available now at ncci.com/INSIGHTS.
About NCCI
Founded in 1923, the mission of the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) is to foster a healthy workers compensation system. In support of this mission, NCCI gathers data, analyzes industry trends, and provides objective insurance rate and loss cost recommendations. These activities—combined with a comprehensive set of tools and services—make NCCI the source you trust for workers compensation information.
