DC Workers' Compensation Insurance Flashcards

An employer in DC has a workers' compensation policy with an 'employers' liability' section (Part Two). This coverage protects the employer from:

Answer: Lawsuits by employees who allege employer negligence caused their work injury, outside the workers' comp system

Employers' liability (Part Two) covers the employer against common-law negligence suits by employees that fall outside the exclusive remedy of the workers' comp system.

In DC workers' compensation, the 'exclusive remedy' doctrine generally means:

Answer: Workers' compensation is the sole legal remedy available to employees for work-related injuries, barring them from suing the employer in tort

The exclusive remedy doctrine provides that workers' compensation is the exclusive means by which an employee can recover for a work-related injury, generally precluding tort suits against the employer.

A DC workers' compensation policy premium is calculated primarily based on:

Answer: Payroll amounts by job classification and the experience modification factor

Workers' comp premiums are based on the employer's payroll classified by the type of work performed, multiplied by a class rate and adjusted by the employer's experience modification factor.

Under DC law, independent contractors are generally:

Answer: Not covered as employees under the hiring company's workers' compensation policy

True independent contractors are not employees and are generally not covered by the hiring company's workers' compensation policy.

What does the term 'subrogation' mean in the context of DC workers' compensation insurance?

Answer: The insurer's right to recover benefits it paid from a liable third party who caused the work injury

Subrogation allows the workers' compensation insurer to step into the injured worker's shoes and pursue recovery from a negligent third party whose actions caused the work injury.

In DC, a 'scheduled injury' under workers' compensation refers to:

Answer: A specific body part (such as a hand or foot) for which a fixed number of weeks of compensation is prescribed by statute

Scheduled injuries cover specific body parts listed in the statute with a predetermined number of weeks of compensation payable for permanent loss of, or loss of use of, that part.