Arizona Lags Behind Other States in Worker’s Compensation Benefits

By Emily Achondo | Cronkite News 

$16,701.

That’s how much your big toe is worth in the state of Arizona, according to a database compiled by ProPublica, a non-profit news organization.

The database, compiled by Lena Groeger, Michael Grabell and Cynthia Cotts, provides the average maximum amount of worker’s compensation one can receive for injury to different body parts across the United States.

At its most basic definition, worker’s compensation is a benefit paid to employees who have suffered an injury while on the job.

“Congress allows each state to determine its own benefits, with no federal minimums, so workers who live across state lines from each other can experience entirely different outcomes for identical injuries,” Michael Grabell and Howard Berkes write in the ProPublica article titled “How Much Is Your Arm Worth? Depends On Where You Work.”

And the results of ProPublica’s investigation revealed that, compared to the national average, Arizona’s worker’s compensation values falls short ƒor almost every body part. The foot and ear were the only two body categories that were reported to provide higher compensations in Arizona than the national average.

In general, Oregon and Nevada provide some of the highest compensations, according to the database.