OhioBWC - Employer: (Individual-retrospective-rating information)

OhioBWC - Employer: (Individual-retrospective-rating information)

Individual-retrospective-rating information

Eligibility criteria
Any employer wanting to participate in individual-retrospective rating must have at least $25,000 of estimated premium. Then, the employer must meet specific eligibility requirements for either the Tier I or Tier II individual-retrospective rating plan. (See Related links below.)

Tier II eligibility requirements are the same as Tier I unless an employer has entered into any partial payment arrangement with BWC. For Tier I, you cannot have entered into a partial payment agreement for the payment of assessments due the state insurance fund for the past three rating years before the start date of the retrospective policy year. BWC can waive this for Tier II applicants.

Coverage status
You must be in an active status on the first day of the policy year. BWC's administrator may waive this requirement for new businesses moving into Ohio. Also, you cannot have cumulative lapses in coverage in excess of 15 days within the last five rating years.

Financial information
To qualify for individual-retrospective rating you must demonstrate financial strength and stability. We consider several criteria (OAC 4123-17-42(C)(1)) to determine this.

Outstanding balances
You must be current on any and all undisputed premiums, administrative costs, assessments, fines or monies otherwise due to any fund we administer, including amounts due for individual-retrospective rating. In addition, you cannot have any unpaid audit findings or other unpaid billings as of the application deadline.

Employers enrolled in the individual-retrospective-rating plan Tier II must implement our 10-Step Business Plan for Safety, within the first program year. You must agree to meet quarterly with a BWC representative to discuss the individual-retrospective-rating program and risk-management strategies that other employers are successfully using to control their workers' compensation costs.

Hazard class (OAC 4123-17-45)
Public employers - For all public employer taxing districts, the hazard group shall be that group specifically developed for such employers and that BWC's administrator periodically establishes with the advice and consent of the BWC Board of Directors. Therefore, public employers only have one minimum premium percentage, individual- retrospective-rating chart.

Minimum premium percentage (OAC 4123-17-54) is the percentage applied to the experience premium to determine the fixed cost BWC will charge, separate from the claims costs associated with the year of participation. BWC's administrator set those percentages to be effective for the Jan. 1, 2007, policy year as indicated in appendices A (Tier I) and B (Tier II). Please see the minimum premium percentage retrospective rate chart in Related links below.

Private employers - Hazard groups for all private employers come from the individual-retrospective-rating section in the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) governing manual. Once you determine your hazard group, you can select the minimum premium percentage, individual-retrospective-rate chart for your hazard group. (See Related links.)

Minimum premium percentage (OAC 4123-17-53) is the percentage applied to the experience premium to determine the fixed cost BWC will charge, separate from the claims costs associated with the year of participation. BWC's administrator set those percentages to be effective for the July 1, 2006, policy year as indicated in appendices A (Tier I) and B (Tier II). Please see the minimum premium percentage, individual-retrospective-rating chart in Related links below.

Applying for individual-retrospective rating
The application for any individual-retrospective rating plan is optional for you, subject to our acceptance. Once you decide to participate in individual-retrospective rating, all your business operations are subject to it.

To apply, you must complete either the Application for Individual-Retrospective Rating Plan for Private Employers (U-20) or the Application for Individual-Retrospective Rating Plan for Public Employers (U-21) in its entirety - including but not limited to, the selection of a per-claim limit and maximum premium percent. Please see Related links below for blank applications. We will reject incomplete applications.

We must receive the application 30 days before the start date of the policy year. An application for individual-retrospective rating is good for only one policy year. To continue the plan, you must apply and meet eligibility requirements yearly.

If you want to make changes to your application, you must submit a new form prior to the deadline. If you want to withdraw your application, you must do so in writing prior to the deadline. The document must be signed by an officer of the company. We will not accept any changes after the application deadline. We will use the latest application filed prior to the deadline to determine your premium obligation.