P-595 Transition Between Social Protection Systems for Workers With Long Term Health Problems: A Controlled Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction Many nations have established workers’ compensation systems as a feature of their social protection system. Wage replacement entitlements may end for workers with long-term health conditions before they have returned to employment. We sought to determine the prevalence of transitions to social security benefits among injured workers with long-term disability, when workers’ compensation benefits end. Methods Australian workers’ compensation and social security data were linked to examine receipt of social security payments after workers’ compensation benefit cessation. Study groups included (1) injured workers whose workers’ compensation benefits ceased due to reaching a 260-week limit introduced by legislative reform (N=2,761), (2) a control group of injured workers with at least 104 weeks workers compensation benefits (N=3,890), and (3) a matched community control group (N=10,114). Adjusted binary logistic regression examined the odds of transitions to social security. Results Within 12 months of workers’ compensation benefit cessation, 60% (N=1669) of the exposed group received social security payments, of which 41% (N=1120) received the unemployment allowance and 19% (N=516) the disability pension. Among the work injured control group, 42% (N=1676) received social security payments after workers compensation benefits ceased. Transitions to social security payments were significantly more common than community levels for both exposed (OR 25.0, 95%CI=20.7, 30.1) and work injured control groups (OR 4.7, 95%CI=4.2, 5.3). Discussion and conclusion Many injured workers with long-term health problems transition to social security when their workers’ compensation benefits cease. Design and implementation of policy reform should consider the social and economic impacts of transitions between separate social protection systems.