Table 4.
Economic outcomes, as reported by Washington State workers surveyed about a year after workers’ compensation claim closure with a permanent partial disability (PPD) award; crude odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) comparing response patterns for workers with a higher degree of whole body impairment (≥10% WBI) to those with a lower degree of impairment (WBI <10%)
| Survey question | N | Overall (N=598) | WBI <10% (N=464) | WBI ≥10% (N=134) | Crude OR (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | |||
| Number of work hours now versus before impairment | 580 | ||||
| Working fewer hours now | 171 (29.5) | 122 (27.2) | 49 (37.4) | 1.60 | |
| Working the same or more hours now | 409 (70.5) | 327 (72.8) | 82 (62.6) | (1.06, 2.42) | |
| Earnings now versus before impairment | 583 | ||||
| Earning less now | 170 (29.2) | 122 (27.0) | 48 (36.6) | 1.56 | |
| Earning the same or more now | 413 (70.8) | 330 (73.0) | 83 (63.4) | (1.04, 2.36) | |
| Worry about total income not being enough to meet expenses | 579 | ||||
| Often worry | 167 (28.8) | 123 (27.3) | 44 (34.1) | 1.38 | |
| Sometimes/never worry | 412 (71.2) | 327 (72.7) | 85 (65.9) | (0.90, 2.09) | |
| Contacted by collection agency in past 3 months | 579 | ||||
| Yes | 102 (17.6) | 77 (17.1) | 25 (19.4) | 1.16 | |
| No | 477 (82.4) | 373 (82.9) | 104 (80.6) | (0.71, 1.92) | |
| Housing at risk due to underpaid rent/mortgage in past 3 months | 582 | ||||
| Yes | 57 (9.8) | 43 (9.5) | 14 (10.8) | 1.15 | |
| No | 525 (90.2) | 409 (90.5) | 116 (89.2) | (0.61, 2.17) | |
| Health insurance coverage from employer | 580 | ||||
| No | 217 (37.4) | 170 (37.8) | 47 (36.2) | 0.93 | |
| Yes | 363 (62.6) | 280 (62.2) | 83 (63.9) | (0.62, 1.40) | |
| Health insurance coverage from any source | 581 | ||||
| No | 53 (9.1) | 46 (10.2) | 7 (5.4) | 0.50 | |
| Yes | 528 (90.9) | 405 (89.8) | 123 (94.6) | (0.22, 1.14) | |
CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; PPD, permanent partial disability; WBI, whole body impairment.
Note: In each unadjusted logistic regression model, the independent variable was WBI percentage, comparing responses for workers with higher WBI to those with lower WBI (the reference category). ORs are shown on the row containing the response that was coded as 1; CIs are shown on the row containing the response that was coded as 0. Column percentages do not always sum to exactly 100% due to rounding.