View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/east/2013/07/15/298468.htm
The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training said it is keeping the assessment rate for workers’ compensation insurers unchanged at 6.75 percent for the coming year. The department said this assessment rate has remained level every year since 2008.
Department Director Charles J. Fogarty said, “In determining this year’s assessment rate, we felt strongly that we should not add additional costs for business. This approach mirrors the governor’s focus on building a more employer-friendly environment in Rhode Island.”
The Department of Labor and Training has an yearly assessment of workers’ compensation insurers and self-insureds to fund programs and administrative operations of the workers’ compensation court, the workers’ compensation fraud unit, the workers’ compensation education unit, the workers’ compensation advisory council, the Donley Rehabilitation Center and other operational costs associated with the workers’ compensation program in Rhode Island.
Insurers may then include those assessment costs in rates to employers in Rhode Island. Each year, the workers’ compensation assessment rate is recalculated, based upon projected costs.
The division of workers’ compensation at the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training monitors the workers’ compensation system, ensuring claims are paid correctly and that all required employers with one or more employees maintain insurance coverage. It also provides rehabilitative services, including physical therapy, work hardening, vocational services and psychological services through the Donley Rehabilitation Center in Providence.