Contractors Helping with Hurricane Relief | Out of State Workers Compensation
Contractors are responding to help repair and rebuild the recent hurricane damage in Texas, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Several of our own clients are involved and we applaud your efforts. If you are considering doing the same, please take a moment to consider out of state workers compensation issues that may arise.
Employees have the right to make a workers compensation claim in the state 1) where their work is principally located, or 2) where they are injured, or 3) where they live. Though all three are normally the same state, this is not the case when working remotely and out of state workers compensation issues can arise. If the state in which they are injured offers higher benefits, the employee may elect them and, if your policy is not appropriately endorsed, the difference in cost could be paid out of your business’s pocket.
Further Considerations
- Florida does not recognize workers compensation coverage unless the state of Florida is listed in section 3A on the policy.
- If working in Texas, Georgia, or South Carolina, especially for more than 25 days, we highly recommend adding these states to your policy, reducing the likelihood of out of state workers compensation coverage gaps.
- If your policy has been placed through your state’s assigned risk pool, it provides coverage only for the states listed. Florida and Texas will each require a separate policy in such a case.
The Florida Division of Workers Compensation is conducting an outreach campaign to contractors about workers compensation compliance requirements. Please reference their advisory letter and coverage and compliance informational noticeopens PDF file regarding contractor’s insurance requirements.
Bankers Insurance would like to work with you to minimize potential coverage and claims questions, regulatory issues, and audit confusion. We recommend adding any new states and projected payroll to your active policies to alleviate these potential issues. Please contact your Bankers insurance agent with questions. Not a client of ours? Let us earn your business. Call us at (800) 541-1419.
Helpful Links:
Was this post helpful?
- Share it using the links below.
- opens in a new windowSign Up for our mailing list.
- Browse all our business insurance posts.
Comments are closed.