#1 San Diego Workers Compensation Insurance

How Does It Work?

Worker insurance is designed to protect both employees and employers. Employees are covered if their job duties cause their injury or illness, and the employers are protected in case of costly lawsuits and employee issues.

As soon as the injury occurs, it should be reported to the immediate supervisor. The claim should be filled promptly and as correctly as possible. It should include the following information: name, home address, date, time and address when the person got injured, a full description of the injury, social security number of the injured and his/her signature, as well as the name and address of the employer, the date the employer was informed of the injury, the employer’s insurance information, and the signature of the employer.

The amount of money that the employee will receive depends on the injury’s seriousness and type. The main goal of this entire system is to get your injured employees back to work as soon as possible and promote your staff’s well-being and safety.

My Business is Located in San Diego, California. Do I Need Worker’s Compensation Insurance?

Yes, you do. Worker’s insurance is obligatory in California. This type of policy is required by law in almost every state if you have a business with employees. It provides a safety net for you and your employees if they suffer a work-related injury or illness.

Suppose you are a sole proprietor or self-employed. In that case, you may want to consider getting a workers comp policy because it can help you in cases that are not covered by your health insurance. However, it is not required by law for these categories, but some clients may ask to have it to meet their contract requirements.

Many states require you to have proof of workers comp insurance to issue a license, especially in construction. It is a part of general contractor license requirements and differs in every state, so you need to research your state laws carefully.

What Does Worker Comp Insurance Cover?

When the employee gets injured, becomes ill, or dies during working hours, the workers comp insurance will cover:

• Medical care and bills, including rehabilitation costs;
• Replace some portion of the lost wages if they take time to recover;
• Provide disability benefits;
• Retraining the employees who need to learn skills to enter a new field;
• Pay for funeral expenses and income replacement if they lose their life.

However, it is not always easy to prove that the injury is job-related, especially if it is about physical or emotional illnesses.

What Doesn’t Worker Comp Policy Cover?

There are some exemptions from the policy, and include the following:

• If employees get intoxicated;
• If employees get hurt while doing a law-breaking activity;
• If employees try to hurt themselves or someone else intentionally;
• If employees are injured while fooling around.

What are the Benefits of Workers Insurance?

No matter who was at fault, your employees are entitled to receive prompt, effective medical treatment for on-the-job injuries. The main benefits of this insurance coverage include:

• Comprehensive medical care that will help you fully recover from work-related injury or illness. It includes everything starting from examinations and treatments to rehabilitation.
• Temporary disability benefits are payments that you receive if you lose wages due to your job-related injury. It will pay about two-thirds of the gross (pre-tax) wages you lose while you are recovering.
• Permanent disability benefits are payments that you receive if you do not cover completely from your job-related injury.
• Supplemental job displacement benefits are vouchers that help you pay for skill enhancement or retraining if you do not recover completely and cannot return to work for your employer. If your date of injury is in 2004 or later, vouchers are available for you.
• Death benefits are payments to children, spouses and other dependents if an employee dies from job-related illness or injury. The amount of the death benefits depends on the number of dependents.

How Much Does Workmans Comp Insurance Cost?

The cost of workers comp insurance for businesses that operate in San Diego varies depending on several factors:

• The type of business you own;
• The location of your business;
• How many years have you been in business;
• The number of employees;
• The kind of work they do;
• The total payroll of your business;
• The history of your work comp claims.

The premiums you pay will be significantly higher if you are exposed to more risks, so there will be a difference between insurance costs for accountants and construction businesses. All these factors are combined with the state pricing guidelines to calculate your workers’ compensation premiums.

This simplified formula can give you an estimate:

Workers’ Class Code Rate X Claims Experience Modifier X Payroll/$100 = Premium.

If you have employees in multiple states, you will need to meet the requirements of each state. For example, California has the most expensive rates, while Texas has the lowest price of workers comp insurance.