Ohio: Legislative Changes, Worker Safety Initiatives, Combine to Reduce Worker Benefits, Employer Costs

Over the past ten years, Ohio has experienced a larger decrease in Workers’ Compensation benefits per $100 of payroll than all but one other state. The state saw worker benefits reduced from $1.20 per $100 in 2007 to $0.68 per $100 in 2017, or by nearly half (43%), a larger relative decline than that of any other state but Michigan ($0.85 – $0.42, or 51%). Two complementary sets of forces – legislative changes that limit access to and levels of benefits, and incentives for employers to improve worker safety – likely explain much of this decline.

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Go to Workers’ Compensation Benefits, Costs, and Coverage (2017 Data).