Need for a Wellness Initiative:

A review of loss ratio data by RMS staff has shown a steady increase in the number and severity of Worker Compensation claims. A study of claims for FY 1999 to FY 2005 revealed that police departments represented 22.81% of the frequency of claims compared to 39.93% for public works. However, the severity of police department claims represented 25.53% compared to 23.20% for public works. The police department claims totaled $12.6 Million. During this same period, 18 of the 2,582 police department claims exceeded $100,000 and the average was $258,000 for these 18 claims. Based on an ongoing national study discussed further in this Final Report, the documented nature and type of injury sustained by police officers, and the correlation between individual fitness and job performance, a determination was made to move forward with the Wellness Initiative Pilot Study.