Comp claims in Florida lowest since start of pandemic

In April, Florida employers saw the fewest number of compensable COVID-19 workers compensation indemnity claims since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a report released Tuesday by the Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation.

The report showed that 846 lost-time claims were filed in April, a decrease from the 1,258 filed in March and in line with a slow decline in claims filed since the beginning of the pandemic in Jan 2020. The highest number of lost-time claims were filed in July 2020, when 8,372 were filed.

Overall, 42,716 indemnity claims have been filed in Florida costing $88.8 million, according to the data.

Totaling indemnity benefits, employers and insurers have paid $39 million in closed COVID-19 claims and nearly $50 million for claims that remained open as of April 30.

More insurance and workers compensation news on the coronavirus crisis here.