Minnesota Workers Compensation - laws,rules,statutes,state contacts and detailed policy information

State: Minnesota

Authority/Rating Bureau: Minnesota Workers Compensation Insurance Association, MWCIA. Minnesota is a non-NCCI state. Contact at:

Minnesota Workers' Compensation Insurers Association, Inc

7701 France Avenue South

Suite 450

Minneapolis, MN 55435-3200

General Phone Number 952-897-1737

General Fax Numbers 952-897-6495 / 1-800-257-8671

http://www.mwcia.org/

Note, MWCIA does not regulate classification codes used within the voluntary market. MWCIA does report loss and payroll data to NCCI which is included in interstate mods.

Compulsory: Yes

Private Insurance: Allowed

Self-Insurance: Allowed

State Fund: Previously known as the Minnesota State Fund Mutual Insurance Company is now known as SFM. Contact at:

http://www.sfmic.com/index.cfm

Assigned Risk: Minnesota Workers Compensation Insurance Association, MWCIA. Contact at:

Minnesota Workers' Compensation Insurers Association, Inc

7701 France Avenue South

Suite 450

Minneapolis, MN 55435-3200

General Phone Number 952-897-1737

General Fax Numbers 952-897-6495 / 1-800-257-8671

http://www.mwcia.org/

Numerical Exceptions: None

Individual Waivers Allowed: No waivers allowed

Sole Proprietor: Excluded from coverage/may elect to be included - Individually or family run, non-incorporated businesses owned by one person, including true independent contractors, where any employees are immediate family members (a spouse, parent or child, regardless of age). Note: After a non-immediate family member is hired, insurance is required.

Partners: Excluded from coverage/may elect to be included - Partners in business or farm operations where every employee is a partner or a spouse, parent or child of a partner, regardless of age.

Corporate Officers: Excluded from coverage/may elect to be included - Executive officers owning 25 percent of more of a closely held corporation or a spouse, parent or child of the executive officer, regardless of age, are automatically excluded unless the business elects to cover them. To qualify for this exemption, such corporations must have 10 or fewer shareholders and less than 22,880 hours of payroll in the preceding calendar year.

Employees of such a corporation who are more distantly related by blood or marriage to an executive officer of the corporation may also be excluded by filing a written request to be excluded. This includes brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents and grandchildren. Cousins may not be excluded from coverage.

LLC Members: There are exclusions for managers and members of their families here that are similar to the exclusions for closely held corporations.

Contractors: An employer contracting with an independent contractor may also provide insurance for that entity. The provider of the insurance may only charge the independent contractor a fee for the coverage if the independent contractor elects in writing to be covered and is issued an endorsement setting forth the terms of the coverage, the names of the persons covered, the fee charged and how the fee is calculated.

Special Notes: The Minnesota Workers' Compensation Act provides that insurance coverage may be purchased for many of the above named classes of persons. When such coverage is provided, the insured person becomes an "employee" as defined within the statute. When coverage is elected, written notice must be provided to the insurer and becomes effective the day following receipt of the notice or at a later date requested in the notice.

Other exclusions from coverage include:

Family farm operations: People employed by a family farm that pays or is obligated to pay cash wages in the preceding calendar year of less than the current coverage threshold. The threshold is $8,000 unless the operation has $300,000 in total liability insurance coverage and $5,000 in medical insurance coverage for farm laborers. Where the $300,000 insurance coverage threshold is met, the farm operation may pay up to the statewide average annual wage (about $26,000 in 1995) in total payroll to farm laborers in the previous year before workers' compensation insurance coverage is required. The farmer-employer's immediate family members, farmers or their family members exchanging work within the community and their employees are also exempted from coverage. Executive officers of a family farm corporation are excluded. For further information, please refer to our information sheet The Farmer-Employer Exception.
Casual employees: An employee who is not working in the usual course of the trade, business, profession or occupation of the employer and both the employee and employer understand that the employment is meant to be for one time or infrequent rather than permanent or periodically regular.
Household workers: This includes a domestic, repairer, groundskeeper or maintenance worker at a private household, who earns less than $1,000 cash during a quarter of the year unless more than $1,000 was earned in any quarter of the previous year.
Other exclusions: Veterans organization officers and members attending meetings and conventions; nonprofit associations with a total annual payroll for all employees of less than $1,000 and people covered under the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (Vista volunteers, foster grandparents).

Regulated By:

Minnesota Department of Commerce

85 7th Place East, Suite 500

St. Paul, MN 55101

1-800-657-3602 (MN only)

651-296-2488

651-296-4328 FAX

http://www.insurance.mn.gov

Workers Compensation Statute:

http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=176

Information on this page is provided only as a reference. While we strive to mantain accurate information on this site please realize workers compensation laws are complicated and subject to change at any time. If you need help with a workers compensation problem or have a specific situation or question please contact our office. Otherwise please consult your states governing authority or an attorney in your state of residency for assistance.

Contact Us:
WORKERS COMPENSATION CONSULTANT
Voice: (573) 999-6948
Fax: (573) 447-4998
email: rks@workcompconsultant.com

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Minnesota Workers Compensation Laws

Workers compensation policy information for the State of Minnesota