Workers with higher average wages, therefore, have become those most likely to be eligible. As Figure 2 shows, the average weekly wage at injury for eligible claims prior to 1988 was slightly below that of all disabling claims, but it has risen steadily over time to a level 12 percent above the disabling claim wage in 1995. Conversely, the average wage at injury for ineligible claims in 1995 has fallen to 17 percent below the average wage for all disabled workers. Median tenure for eligible claimants has increased from 12 months to 24 months in the period from 1986 to 1995. The distribution of eligible cases by occupation shows increased frequencies for construction workers, who are overwhelmingly male, and declines for service workers, who are more likely female as concerns occupational disability.
Similar trends exist for the construction and services industries.
The recent declining trend in the data can possibly be attributed to a decline overall in the average extent of permanent disability awarded. SAIF's share of eligible cases in 1995 was 33 percent and, though declining, continues to be the largest. Liberty Northwest's share has grown to 32 percent, more than triple the 1986 figure. Other private insurers comprised 20 percent of eligible cases, and self-insured employers made up the rest with 15 percent. From 1986 to 1995, the most prevalent injury for eligible claimants was sprains and strains, but the frequency has declined over this time period, and at 50 percent in 1995, it is more in line with the frequency found among all disabling claims.