Does time off work after injury vary by jurisdiction? A comparative study of eight Australian workers' compensation systems

Abstract

Objectives: To determine whether the jurisdiction in which a work-related injury compensation claim is made is an independent predictor of duration of time off work following work injury, and if so, the magnitude of the effect. Setting: Eight Australian state and territory workers' compensation systems, providing coverage for more than 90% of the Australian labour force. Administrative claims data from these systems were provided by government regulatory authorities for the study. Participants: 95 976 Australian workers with workers' compensation claims accepted in 2010 and with at least 2 weeks of compensated time off work. Primary outcome measure: Duration of time lost from work in weeks, ..