Oregon regulators cutting comp rates by 3.2%

The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services said employers will pay an average of 3.2% less for workers compensation coverage next year.

The department said the advisory pure premium rate for 2025 will be 91 cents per $100 of payroll, down from 93 cents in 2024. “The decline in costs marks 12 years of average decreases in the pure premium rate — the base rate insurers use to determine how much employers must pay for medical costs and lost wages,” the department said in a statement Thursday.

The department also announced that it is proposing no change in assessments for the coming year. The premium assessment supports operations of the Workers’ Compensation Division, the Workers’ Compensation Board and small business and injured worker ombuds programs. The Workers’ Benefit Fund assessment pays for return-to-work programs and provides cost-of-living adjustments for permanently and totally disabled workers.

Employers pay the full premium assessment and at least half of the Benefit Fund assessment, which is charged on a cents-per-hour-worked rate.

The department is proposing to hold the premium assessment at 9.8% and to maintain the Benefit Fund assessment at 2 cents per hour worked.

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