Where any employer requesting coverage under a new or existing certificate of consent to self-insure has had a period of unlawful uninsurance, either for an applicant in its entirety or for a subsidiary or member of a joint powers authority legally responsible for its own workers’ compensation obligations, the following special conditions shall apply before the director may determine if the requesting employer can operate under a certificate of consent to self-insure:
(a) The director may require a deposit of not less than 200 percent of the outstanding liabilities remaining unpaid at the time of application, which had been incurred during the uninsurance period.
(b) At the discretion of the director, where a public or private employer has been previously totally uninsured for workers’ compensation pursuant to Section 3700, the director may require an additional deposit not to exceed 100 percent of the total outstanding liabilities for the uninsured period, or the sum of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000), whichever is greater.
(c) In addition to the deposits required by subdivisions (a) and (b), a penalty shall be paid to the Uninsured Employers Fund of 10 percent per year of the remaining unpaid liabilities, for every year liabilities remain outstanding. In addition, an additional application fee, not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), plus assessments, pursuant to Section 3702.5 and subdivision (b) of Section 3745, may be imposed by the director and the Self-Insurers’ Security Fund, respectively, against private self-insured employers.
(d) A certificate of consent to self-insure shall not be granted to an applicant that has had a period of unlawful uninsurance without the written approval of the Self-Insurers’ Security Fund.
(e) An employer may retrospectively insure the outstanding liabilities arising out of the uninsured period, either before or after an application for self-insurance has been approved. Upon proof of insurance acceptable to the director, no deposit shall be required for the period of uninsurance.
The penalties to be paid to the Uninsured Employers Fund shall consist of a one-time payment of 20 percent of the outstanding liabilities for the period of uninsurance remaining unpaid at the time of application, in lieu of any other penalty for being unlawfully uninsured pursuant to this code.
(f) In the case of a subsidiary which meets all of the following conditions, a certificate shall issue without penalty:
(1) The subsidiary has never had a certificate revoked for reasons set forth in Section 3702.
(2) Employee injuries were reported to the Office of Self-Insurance Plans in annual reports.
(3) The security deposit of the certificate holder was calculated to include the entity’s compensation liabilities.
(4) Application for a separate certificate or corrected certificate is made within 90 days and completed within 180 days of notice from the Office of Self-Insurance Plans. If the requirements of this subdivision are not met, all penalties pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 3702.9 shall apply.
(g) The director may approve an application on the date the application is substantially completed, subject to completion requirements, and may make the certificate effective on an earlier date, covering a period of uninsurance, if the employer complies with the requirements of this section.
(h) Any decision by the director may be contested by an entity in the manner provided in Section 3701.5.
(i) Nothing in this section shall abrogate the right of an employee to bring an action against an uninsured employer pursuant to Section 3706.
(j) Nothing in this statute shall abrogate the right of a self-insured employer to insure against known or unknown claims arising out of the self-insurance period.
(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 363, Sec. 14. (SB 863) Effective January 1, 2013.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018