Workers' compensation: coverage, payments, and costs, 1974.

more than half the annual rate of mcrease for 1972 and for 1973 _ The 17 a-percent rise m 1974 of cash and medl-cal care benefits under workers' compensation programs (excludmg the temporary Federal " black lung " program) was the highest annual change smce 1940, the first year for whmh the Social Security Admmmstratlon has complled data The year was also notable for the estabhshment of an Interdepartmental Workers' Compensation Task Force by the President The task force was set up to provide techmcal assistance to the States ,I, unprov~ng thex coverage, cash and other benefits , and data collectIon systems, as well as m evaluatmg the progress of the States toward meetmg goals proposed m a White Paper issued by the President m 1974 1 The substantial rise m benefits pald durmg 1974 was attributable to various forces, among them the nnpetus to Improve State workers' corn-! pensatlon coverage a,nd benefits provided by the White Paper, the Task Force, and congressional ' bills on workers' compensation benefit standards, as well as to the effect of rapldly rising wage ' levels, upon which benefits are based, and medical care costs COVERAGE The number of workers protected bi workers' compensation laws rose from 65 7-66 1 mdhon m 1973 to 67 6-68 0 nulhon m 1974 This 2 g-percent rise was well below the 6 0-and 4 5-percent annual mcreases recorded m the previous 2 years, with the slow growth-m the employed labor force accountmg for the slackened pace The gromth from 1973 to 1974 was 19 percent, lust a httle l By Daniel N Price, Division of Retirement and survivor Studies ' White Paper an Workera' ConLpensatwn-4 Report on the Need for Re, " rnl Of state workers' Compensatwn : Nevertheless, the mcrease m the number of workers protect,ed by work iqury laws was notable because 600,000 of the addlhon of l,QOO,OOO reflected extensions of coverage under State leglslatlon Under the laws passed m 197s the full Impact of whxh were not felt untd 1974~and the 1974 IeglslstIon mlth 1974 effectwe dates-11 States reduced or ehmmated size-of-firm restnchons on coverage, 10 made coverage mandatory for employers and employees, rime added hired farm employment at least m part, Kansas and hf~ssour~ sub&&ally Increased the number of State and local government workers protect,ed, and a number of States broadened coverage for domestic workers and other small groups Pr~marlly because of State …