California Workers' Compensation Self-Insurance Update

Under the new requirements of SB 863, California private (non-public entity) workers' comp self-insured employers and self-insured groups (SIGs) starting this year are required to submit an actuarial study and an actuarial summary form to the Department of Industrial Relation's Office of Self-Insured Plans (OSIP). Private self-insured employers' actuarial submissions are due on May 1 and SIGs are due on April 15. The new actuarial study and summary form must both be prepared by a qualified actuary, as defined by OSIP.

Under SB 863, the method for calculating OSIP's required security deposits has changed from the old method involving the Estimated Future Liabilities (EFL) formula (multiplied by a factor of 1.35 - 2.00) to the new actuarial methodology. This is considered the "gold standard" by insurers, captives, and other state Guaranty Funds as well. Self insurers are still required to submit their self-insured employers' annual reports to OSIP as they have always done. This annual report covers the self-insured entity's open workers' comp claims by calendar year.

Those 340+ self-insured entities in the Alternative Security Program (ASP) of the Self-Insurers' Security Fund (SISF) are part of the annual composite deposit program wherein SISF provides OSIP with their security deposit guarantee. They post nothing. Therefore, their security deposits are "notional" since SISF covers them. SISF's ASP member assessments in July, 2013 will be adjusted (i.e. rebalanced) to reflect the new actuarial standard. Some ASP entities may experience increases or decreases in their annual assessments as a result of their restated open claim liabilities using a uniform actuarial standard. Currently, SISF member security deposits are based on factors of 135% to over 200% of their total EFL.

SISF's excluded entities are those that are required to post collateral (cash, LOC, securities, or security bonds) with OSIP. The 25 active California SIG's already post security deposits based upon an actuarial figure, but in 2013 SIG security deposits — like individual self-insureds — is at the undiscounted "expected level" versus the previous standard of an 80% confidence level.

Each self-insured's actuarial report must include: Incurred But Not Reported (IBNR) liabilities, Allocated Loss Adjustment Expense (ALAE), and Unallocated Loss Adjusted Expense (ULAE), less any credit for applicable excess insurance. Each of these amounts will be reported on the actuarial summary form. There are currently 55 single-entity self-insureds that will now be required to post their OSIP security deposit based upon their 2012 actuarial report submittal.

The new OSIP self-insured actuarial summary form was just placed on the OSIP website on February 14, 2013. (Note: These new requirements do not apply to government entities and JPA's).

The actuarial valuation report of the self-insured's open workers' comp claims must be as of December 31 of the previous year (i.e. 12/31/2012). Actuaries may roll forward liabilities to the December 31 date instead of having a separate study performed if the self-insured already has actuarial studies that use a different valuation date.

It's important to note that with nearly 500 self-insured entities being impacted in 2013 by SB 863 changes, exceptions to the requirement to file an actuarial summary are being developed and will be contained in a regular rulemaking package that should be publically announced within the next four to six weeks. The proposed exceptions will most likely only pertain to self-insurers that have a few open claims or a very low total ELF.