National Benefit Costs Rose 2.5% 1998-1999

Workers' comp benefit payments nationally rose by about $1 billion between 1998 and 1999, according to the National Academy of Social Insurance.The costs are added up for all state workers' comp programs (insured and self-insured), the Federal Employee's Compensation Act and black lung program. The increase represented a 2.5 percent increase in costs over the year prior to $43.4 billion.In California, costs increased 6.5 percent between 1998 and 1999. That wasn't an indication of pr