Worker's Compensation issues for Ohio Business Doing Business in States Other Than Ohio

If you own or operate a business in Ohio, you are most likely carrying Ohio Worker's Compensation Insurance through the State of Ohio's Bureau of Worker's Compensation. If you pay an employee more than $160/quarter, you are required by law to do this. If your business takes you or your employees to other states, you need to be aware of the specific state's Worker's Compensation requirements. Depending on the circumstances, your Ohio Worker's Compensation may protect you and your workers in other states under the terms of Ohio's Worker's Compensation laws. There may be a problem, however, in Kentucky, for example where their Worker's Compensation governing bodies and laws do not recognize Ohio's Worker's Compensation Policies. In that case you may need to buy Worker's Compensation in the state where you or your employees are temporarily working. Many of these new issues are evolving as states scramble for revenue because of the current recession, so before going into other states on business, please check with that state's Worker's Compensation authorities to see if you need state-specific Worker's Compensation in addition to your coverage in Ohio or any other state.

Ohio Workers' Compensation for Your Home or Business

If you are in the State of Ohio and employ at least one employee to whom you pay $160 or more in a three month period, you are required to carry Ohio Workers’ Compensation. Your employee could be with your business or simply a babysitter or person you hire to mow your grass.
In Ohio you buy Workers’ Compensation from the State’s Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. Their website address is www.ohiobwc.com or you can call them at 1-800-OHIO-BWC.

Unfortunately your Homeowner Policy Personal Liability cannot help you in situations where you are paying the employee more than $160 in a quarter, so we highly recommend that you purchase an Ohio Workers’ Compensation policy if you are in this situation.
Workers’ Compensation pays for injuries to your workers and includes not only medical expenses but loss of income benefits, too.

The website at www.ohiobwc.com is actually very helpful. If you decided you need to buy a policy, you can do it all on-line including paying for the coverage and printing out a temporary policy to show you have the protection.

Please feel free to contact one of our friendly agents if you wish to learn more about workers’ compensation.

PIAA Takes Lead in Helping Fix Workers’ Comp Exposure for Ohio Employers

PIAA wrote the following article on 6/27/14 with news on the resent Ohio Workers Compensation program.  The article is as follows:

GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL TO PROTECT BUSINESSES WITH EMPLOYEES WHO WORK IN OTHER STATES

Did you know some states do not recognize Ohio’s workers’ compensation insurance coverage? Many Ohio business owners have no idea that they are at risk for compliance audits and fines when their employees travel to other states for business.

As of June 16, 2014, this issue is on its way to no longer being a problem. Gov. John Kasich signed House Bill 493 into law, which offers an insurance coverage solution for all Ohio employers whose employees cross state lines.

 

H.B. 493 permits the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) to enter into an agreement with an insurer to provide limited other-states’ workers’ comp coverage for Ohio employees who are temporarily working in another state. With this arrangement in place, Ohio businesses will no longer have to fear the repercussions of aggressive states like Pennsylvania and Kentucky that do not accept Ohio’s workers’ comp because they require local workers’ comp coverage for all work performed in-state, regardless of whether coverage exists in Ohio.

While local workers’ comp coverage can be obtained in these states, it is not necessarily cost-effective. In addition, obtaining blanket cost-effective out-of-state workers’ comp coverage has been a challenge in the current marketplace where such a product is hard to find. With H.B. 493, this will soon be an issue of the past, as BWC works to create the opportunity to provide guaranteed issue workers’ comp coverage to resolve the problems many Ohio businesses have faced due to other states workers’ comp requirements.

How did this issue surface?
Independent insurance agents throughout Ohio found their trucking, contracting, plumbing and other clients were being hit with audits, fines, taxes and other compliance enforcement actions from border states because Ohio’s workers’ comp insurance was not compliant with the insurance requirements of other states. These compliance issues were putting Ohio businesses at a competitive disadvantage.

The Professional Independent Agents Association of Ohio, of which your agent is a member, created a task force of independent insurance agents who serve a variety of businesses. These agents worked with the Ohio BWC and representatives from other industries, like trucking and contracting, to develop a solution to this problem.

What’s Next?
Now that the bill has been signed into law, BWC will begin the competitive bid process to identify an insurance carrier(s) to provide limited other states’ coverage for Ohio employers who need it.

 

While this process will take some time, the outcome will ensure that Ohio businesses will finally have guaranteed access to a workers’ comp insurance product that provides the type of out-of-state coverage that will protect their business and meet their needs. Furthermore, employers and insurance agents will no longer have the burden of trying to determine all the different workers comp requirements of each and every state where work is performed, since there will be access to a workers’ comp product that is accepted in all states.

Ohio Workers' Compensation for Your Home or Business (repost from Oct 29th, 2009)

If you are in the State of Ohio and employ at least one employee to whom you pay $160 or more in a three month period, you are required to carry Ohio Workers’ Compensation. Your employee could be with your business or simply a babysitter or person you hire to mow your grass.

In Ohio you buy Workers’ Compensation from the State’s Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. Their website address is www.ohiobwc.com or you can call them at 1-800-OHIO-BWC.

Unfortunately your Homeowner Policy Personal Liability cannot help you in situations where you are paying the employee more than $160 in a quarter, so we highly recommend that you purchase an Ohio Workers’ Compensation policy if you are in this situation.

Workers’ Compensation pays for injuries to your workers and includes not only medical expenses but loss of income benefits, too.

The website at www.ohiobwc.com is actually very helpful. If you decided you need to buy a policy, you can do it all on-line including paying for the coverage and printing out a temporary policy to show you have the protection.

Please feel free to contact one of our friendly agents if you wish to learn more about workers’ compensation.