Post-Acute COVID Among California Workers’ Compensation Claims Filed in 2020-2022

OBJECTIVES: To examine sociodemographic risk factors for post-acute COVID (PASC) among California workers' compensation (WC) claims in 2020-2022. METHODS: We matched WC claims to SARS-CoV-2 test data, augmented with external sociodemographic data, and estimated odds ratios (OR) using logistic regression models. RESULTS: PASC accounted for 7% of the 206,375 COVID and PASC cases. PASC cases were more commonly 30-49 years old, female, longer tenured, and in healthcare and protective service occupations compared to acute COVID. The highest PASC OR were among workers 50-69 years old, and workers of color, including non-Latino American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Island, and multiple races, and healthcare practitioners. CONCLUSIONS: During the first three years of the COVID pandemic, PASC was common among workers with WC claims in CA and unevenly distributed, with observed disparities by age, race, and occupation.