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Alaska’s Workers’ Compensation Law

May 26th, 2006 Posted by John

In this entry I will briefly discuss Alaska’s Workers’ Compensation Insurance, policies and oversight by Alaska’s Division of Workers’ compensation . The Division is the administrative branch of the Workers’ Compensation Board. The mission of the Division is to ensure employee’s who are injured on the job receive compensation during the period they are disabled or unable to work and to help pay for any medical or rehabilitation bills.

First we will discuss briefly two funds that are designed to help employer’s and their insurers, lessen to some degree in qualifying cases the burden of temporary partial or total disability or long term partial or full disability claims by their employee’s.

The Second Injury Fund is a fund designed to pay employee’s who are injured on the job, or more specifically to reimburse employer’s or their insurers who pay Workers’ Compensation benefits.

The Fund receives funding through annual contributions made by insurance companies, adjuster and uninsured employer’s on the 1^st of every march, when their annual reports are turned in/due.

Second there is the Fisherman’s Fund, which is funded by the permits and licenses purchased by fisherman. The fund is to protect those who are injured on shore or offshore in a fishing accident.

Employer’s in special circumstances,for example with the first fund an employee may have to be proven to have a pre-existing injury, before th employee was hurt on the job.

The Alaska Workers’ Compensation law requires every employer with one or more employee to seek out Workers’ Compensation insurance.

The two exceptions are those that qualify as a “self-insured” employer and those who are executives in non-profit organizations, self-employed, fisherman, or other qualifying positions/companies, such as those who own/operate a limited liability corporation.