La. R.S. § 23:1377 Workers' Compensation Second Injury Fund

• Library: Louisiana Statutes
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current with changes from the 2023 Legislative Session
• Year: 2023
• Citation: La. R.S. § 23:1377

A. There is hereby created and established in the state treasury a special fund which shall be designated as the "Workers' Compensation Second Injury Fund", hereinafter referred to as the "fund". The fund shall be maintained as a separate account in the state treasury for the purposes of funding the administrative expenses of the board and reimbursing compensable claims of property and casualty insurers, self-insured employers, and group self-insurance funds as set forth by R.S. 23:1371 et seq. Except as provided in Subsection F of this Section, monies shall be withdrawn therefrom only pursuant to legislative appropriation and shall be subject to budgetary control as provided by law. All remaining and unencumbered balances at the end of any fiscal year shall remain credited to the fund and shall be used solely for the purposes stated in this Section. Any interest income generated by the fund shall accrue to the fund.

B.

(1) Every property and casualty insurer, individual self-insurer, and group self-insurance fund that has paid Louisiana workers' compensation benefits under Parts II and III, Chapter 10 of this Title, shall make an annual payment to the fund. The annual reports required by R.S. 23:1291.1(A) shall be used by the board as the base figure for computing the assessments and such assessments shall be a percentage of the amount reported in the annual reports. The board shall determine the amount of the assessment. Monies collected by the assessment shall not exceed one hundred twenty-five percent of the sum of the disbursements made from the fund in the preceding fiscal year, and the known outstanding unpaid amounts which have been submitted for reimbursement on or in connection with an approved claim at the end of the preceding fiscal year.

(2) These funds shall be made payable to the order of the state treasurer and shall be transmitted to the board, which shall in turn transmit all funds so received to the state treasurer. Upon receipt by the state treasurer, the funds shall be credited to the Workers' Compensation Second Injury Fund.

C.

(1) The board shall provide by rules and regulations for the collection of the assessment amount. The board shall determine the date the assessment is due and notify, in writing, all property and casualty insurers, self-insured employers, and group self-insurance funds of the assessment at least thirty days before the due date. If such amounts are not paid by the due date established by the board, there may be assessed, for each thirty days that the amount assessed remains unpaid, a civil penalty equal to twenty percent of the amount assessed that remains unpaid, which shall be due and collected at the same time as the unpaid part of the amount assessed. Payments received by the office shall be applied first to penalties assessed and then to the outstanding assessment.