Senate Bill Would Eliminate $9M Assessment on Self-Insureds

West Virginia would stop requiring self-insured employers to pay into the Workers’ Compensation Debt Reduction Fund, under a bill moving through the state Senate. Senate Bill 485, by Sen. Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, would eliminate self-insured employers’ requirement to cough up a cumulative $9 million per year for the fund, which was created in 2006 to pay down debt incurred when the workers’ compensation system was privatized. The Senate Finance Committee, which Blair chairs, recommended that the chamber pass SB 485 last week. The bill is scheduled to have its second re...