The Office of Self Insurance Plans (OSIP) is a program within the director’s office of the Department of Industrial Relations that is responsible for the oversight and regulation of workers’ compensation self-insurance within California. OSIP is also responsible for establishing and insuring that required security deposits are posted by self-insurers in amounts sufficient to collateralize against potential defaults by self-insured employers and groups.

This week OSIP posted proposed regulations to streamline self-insurance procedures and eliminate some existing requirements. A public hearing on the proposed regulations has been scheduled at 10 a.m., Monday, December 21, 2015, in the conference room at the Office of Self Insurance Plans, 11050 Olson Drive, Suite 230, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670. Members of the public may also submit written comments on the regulations until 5 p.m. that day.

The proposed regulation amendments function primarily to update and clarify existing regulations. Several proposed amendments make substantive changes to clarify and simplify the documentation and evaluation of the financial qualifications of self-insureds and to simplify and streamline procedural requirements. Existing requirements pertaining to claims loss history and evaluation of illness prevention program are eliminated as no longer necessary. The rulemaking also updates existing forms, implements new forms in some cases and provides for an online platform for submission of annual forms by self-insureds. The proposed rulemaking does not implement any new reporting requirements and claims not to have an adverse financial impact on California businesses.

The notice and text of the regulations can be found on the proposed regulations page.