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Cowlitz County Risk Management Reports Fewer New Claims but Aged and Litigated Cases Drive Costs
Summary
Risk management reported 13 total new claims through May 1 historically 9 open claims in 2025, with litigation dominating liability claims; staff emphasized preventing injuries as the primary control on costs.
Scott, risk analyst for Cowlitz County Risk Management, briefed the board on workers’ compensation and liability activity and said the county had 13 new claims recorded back to May 1 and one new claim in the most recent reporting period, with five claim closures during the same interval.
“Right now we have 9 current open claims with a large proportion of them being aged claims that are more severe,” Scott said.
Scott explained the county tracks actual paid costs to May 31 each year and that 2025 showed some improvement compared with 2024: payments through May were lower and there were fewer claims opened to date. He said high average costs in 2021–2022 were driven by a small number of major surgeries.
Asked whether the county can influence cost per day once a claim opens, Scott replied: “The only thing I would say that would bring your cost down is, avoiding injuries altogether.” He added that severity drives cost — a shoulder surgery will be costly regardless of administrative handling — and that claim‑level actuarial linking requires more historical data.
On claims administration, Scott said the office had data back to 2015 and has made gains in closing claims quickly, noting improvements in closing claims within two weeks after opening in recent months. He said he planned a follow‑up cost‑savings analysis to quantify the fiscal impact of earlier claim closures.
Kathy Funk Baxter, finance director, said monthly financials for risk management were virtually unchanged from last month and she did not prepare those details for the meeting.
On liability claims, Scott told commissioners that as of May 1 the county had 11 open liability claims and that nearly all were in litigation except for one. He said the county had not closed any liability claims in that reporting window.
During public exchange, commissioners asked whether negligence or failure to follow safety procedures affects coverage. Scott said that workers’ compensation coverage remains in force in most cases and that county disciplinary or accountability action occurs independently of an L&I claim unless there is falsification or fraud.
No formal decisions were taken; commissioners received the update and staff identified follow‑up analysis and continued claims administration work.
