Minnesota DOLI tallies up COVID-19 workers' comp cases

Some 4,822 coronavirus-related workers' compensation claims were reported to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) through September 11, 2020, according to data recently released by the agency. The data represent the total number of claims for COVID-19 exposure or illnesses but don't indicate how many were actually accepted or whether any lost time resulted from the reports.

Cases declined after April spike

The DOLI typically receives injury reports a few weeks after exposure or onset of the illness. The first COVID-19-related injury date was reported to have taken place on February 26, 2020.

After the passage of a workers' comp amendment creating a statutory presumption for specific employment groups, there was a spike in coronavirus-related claims culminating in a high of 788 for the week of April 22, followed by a steady decline before an uptick of 633 claims during the week of May 20. Since then, the number of claims dramatically declined and has held steady at 70 to 141 per week.

Healthcare industry leads the pack

As expected, the industry sector with the most COVID-19 claims is healthcare and social assistance with 3,078, or roughly 62% of all reported claims. Within the sector, nursing assistants and registered nurses are filing the most claims at 663 and 530, respectively.

Manufacturing sectors follow with 979 coronavirus-related claims, and public administration has 400. Food processing workers accounted for 381 related injuries, while police and correctional officers/jailers together reported 190.

Metro area is hot spot