Relationship Between Age, Tenure, and Disability Duration in Persons With Compensated Work-Related Conditions

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to examine the relationships among age, tenure, and the length of disability following a work-related injury/illness. METHODS: This study utilized 361,754 administrative workers’ compensation claims. The relationships between age, tenure, and disability duration was estimated with random-effects models. RESULTS: The age-disability duration relationship was stronger than the tenure-disability duration relationship. An interaction was observed between age and tenure. At younger ages, disability duration varied little based on tenure. In midlife, disability duration was greater for workers with lower tenure than for workers with higher tenure. At the oldest ages, disability duration increased as tenure increased. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that age is a more important factor in disability duration than tenure; however, the relationship between age and disability duration varies based on tenure, suggesting that both age and tenure are important influences in the work-disability process.