North Carolina Industrial Commission Coverage Search Open Again
The North Carolina Industrial Commission has returned to allowing web searches for employers’ Workers Compensation coverage. The website was removed after some very not-so-intelligent legislation that barred anyone from viewing this info.
The ill-timed legislation was enacted following the discovery by a newspaper reporter that 30,000 + companies were operating without Workers Compensation coverage in North Carolina. The reportter compared three databases and could readily see that many companies were not insured for Workers Comp accidents. One has to wonder how many companies are still operating without coverage in North Carolina.
NC’s Governor Pat McCrory decided to create another governmental group – the GBICC – to assure the flow of info between the Industrial Commission, Department of Insurance, NC Rating Bureau, and other departments that are considered critical in the information flow on WC policyholders. Somehow, this all looks to be very complicated compared to other states WC enforcement such as West Virginia.
I actually never understood why the website was taken down. Some of this information could have been shared and still have complied with the privacy laws.
Checking Out the North Carolina Industrial Commission Website = OK Operations
The website seems to be working just fine. The website may be good for verifying coverage for subcontractors if your company wants to check to make sure the certificate of insurance is valid. Valid certs are critical in case of an accident or when the insurance carrier performs a yearly premium audit.
Overall, allowing online searches of Workers Comp data will aid in making sure that employers are not operating without coverage. I hope more companies and individuals will use the website. Insuring subcontractors where a contractor thought the subcontractor and their employee was insured under their own policy can lead to a Ladder of Insurance situation.
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