Multiple state hazard models and workers' compensation claims: An examination of workers compensation data from Ontario

The recurrent nature of some workplace injuries has led some researchers to conclude that the first absence from work does not provide an accurate picture of an individual's claim, or employment history, after a workplace injury. In this paper I estimate a multiple state hazard which estimates the transitions between spells where the individual receives workers' compensation benefits and spells where the individual does not receive any workers' compensation benefits. I apply this model to a sample of claims from Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.