39-71-915. Assessment of insurer -- employers -- definition -- collection. (1) As used in this section, "paid losses" means the following benefits paid during the preceding calendar year for injuries covered by the Montana Workers' Compensation Act and the Occupational Disease Act of Montana without regard to the application of any deductible, regardless of whether the employer or the insurer pays the losses:
     (a) total compensation benefits paid; and
     (b) except for medical benefits in excess of $200,000 for each occurrence that are exempt from assessment, total medical benefits paid for medical treatment rendered to an injured worker, including hospital treatment and prescription drugs.
     (2) The fund must be maintained by assessing each plan No. 1 employer, each employer insured by a plan No. 2 insurer, plan No. 3, the state fund, with respect to claims arising before July 1, 1990, and each employer insured by plan No. 3, the state fund. The assessment amount is the total amount of paid losses reimbursed from the fund in the preceding calendar year and the expenses of administration less other income. The total assessment amount to be collected must be allocated among plan No. 1 employers, plan No. 2 employers, plan No. 3, the state fund, and plan No. 3 employers, based on a proportionate share of paid losses for the calendar year preceding the year in which the assessment is collected. The board of investments shall invest the money of the fund, and the investment income must be deposited in the fund.
     (3) On or before April 30 each year, the department shall notify each plan No. 1 employer, plan No. 2 insurer, and plan No. 3, the state fund, of the amount to be assessed for the ensuing fiscal year. The amount to be assessed against the state fund must separately identify the amount attributed to claims arising before July 1, 1990, and the amount attributable to state fund claims arising on or after July 1, 1990. On or before April 30 each year, the department, in consultation with the advisory organization designated under 33-16-1023, shall notify plan No. 2 insurers and plan No. 3 of the premium surcharge rate to be effective for policies written or renewed on and after July 1 in that year.
     (4) The portion of the plan No. 1 assessment assessed against an individual plan No. 1 employer is a proportionate amount of total plan No. 1 paid losses during the preceding calendar year that is equal to the percentage that the total paid losses of the individual plan No. 1 employer bore to the total paid losses of all plan No. 1 employers during the preceding calendar year.
     (5) The portion of the assessment attributable to state fund claims arising before July 1, 1990, is the proportionate amount that is equal to the percentage that total paid losses for those claims during the preceding calendar year bore to the total paid losses for all plans in the preceding calendar year. As required by 39-71-2352, the state fund may not pass along to insured employers the cost of the subsequent injury fund assessment that is attributable to claims arising before July 1, 1990.
     (6) The remaining portion of the assessment must be paid by way of a surcharge on premiums paid by employers being insured by a plan No. 2 insurer or plan No. 3, the state fund, for policies written or renewed annually on or after July 1. The surcharge rate must be computed by dividing the remaining portion of the assessment by the total amount of premiums paid by employers insured under plan No. 2 or plan No. 3 in the previous calendar year. The numerator for the calculation must be adjusted as provided by subsection (9).
     (7) Each plan No. 2 insurer providing workers' compensation insurance and plan No. 3, the state fund, shall collect from its policyholders the assessment premium surcharge provided for in subsection (6). When collected, the assessment premium surcharge may not constitute an element of loss for the purpose of establishing rates for workers' compensation insurance but, for the purpose of collection, must be treated as separate costs imposed upon insured employers. The total of this assessment premium surcharge must be stated as a separate cost on an insured employer's policy or on a separate document submitted by the insured employer and must be identified as "workers' compensation subsequent injury fund surcharge". Each assessment premium surcharge must be shown as a percentage of the total workers' compensation policyholder premium. This assessment premium surcharge must be collected at the same time and in the same manner that the premium for the coverage is collected. The assessment premium surcharge must be excluded from the definition of premiums for all purposes, including computation of insurance producers' commissions or premium taxes, except that an insurer may cancel a workers' compensation policy for nonpayment of the assessment premium surcharge. Cancellation must be in accordance with the procedures applicable to the nonpayment of premium. If an employer fails to remit to an insurer the total amount due for the premium and assessment premium surcharge, the amount received by the insurer must be applied to the assessment premium surcharge first and the remaining amount applied to the premium due.
     (8) (a) All assessments paid to the department must be deposited in the fund.
     (b) Each plan No. 1 employer shall pay its assessment by July 1.
     (c) Each plan No. 2 insurer and plan No. 3, the state fund, shall remit to the department all assessment premium surcharges collected during a calendar quarter by not later than 20 days following the end of the quarter.
     (d) The state fund shall pay the portion of the assessment attributable to claims arising before July 1, 1990, by July 1.
     (e) If a plan No. 1 employer, a plan No. 2 insurer, or plan No. 3, the state fund, fails to timely pay to the department the assessment or assessment premium surcharge under this section, the department may impose on the plan No. 1 employer, the plan No. 2 insurer, or plan No. 3, the state fund, an administrative fine of $100 plus interest on the delinquent amount at the annual interest rate of 12%. Administrative fines and interest must be deposited in the fund.
     (9) The amount of the assessment premium surcharge actually collected pursuant to subsection (7) must be compared each year to the amount assessed and upon which the premium surcharge was calculated. The amount undercollected or overcollected in any given year must be used as an adjustment to the numerator provided for by subsection (6) for the following year's assessment premium surcharge.

     History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 284, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 16, Ch. 377, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 13, Ch. 214, L. 2001.