Workers’ compensation (WC) provides wage and medical benefits to injured employees. It also provides death benefits if an employee dies due to a workplace injury.

Coverage A covers the state-mandated cash benefits for weekly wage replacement, medical care, and rehabilitation services to an injured employee. The employer’s insurance carrier pays these benefits.

Payouts are based on the state’s average weekly wage. The state’s workforce commission calculates this amount yearly to determine how much an injured worker will receive.

Hawaii requires all businesses with one or more employees to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Companies that don’t provide protection risk fines and penalties of up to $100 per employee per day.

The cost of workers’ compensation insurance in Hawaii varies depending on your business’s size and type of work. It also goes by the number of high-risk occupation codes in your workforce.

Cost

In Hawaii, all employers with at least one employee are legally required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Those who choose not to have coverage face fines and penalties of up to $100 per day. They also leave themselves vulnerable to employees suing their company to recover benefits that should have been paid.

Insurers in Hawaii charge premiums based on a risk level assigned to each job code, which is determined by the National Council on Insurance Compensation (NCIC). As a result, the rates are influenced by several factors, including the severity of an injury or illness and how long it takes the worker to recover.

Smaller companies with low turnover and documented safety programs can lower workers’ compensation costs. They can also opt for pay-as-you-go coverage, which provides a lower upfront cost and makes payments based on actual payroll rather than estimated payroll.

Workers temporarily working in other states may be entitled to extraterritorial or reciprocal compensation if they meet certain conditions. Employers must be aware of these rules because they differ from state to state.

Coverage

Employees who are hurt or ill at work are given medical treatment and income replacement through workers’ compensation insurance. It also covers the cost of defending lawsuits against employers by injured or sick employees or their families.

The State of Hawaii requires all employers with employees to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Those who fail to comply with the State’s regulations can be fined up to $100 daily.

Most Hawaii businesses purchase workers’ comp insurance from private insurance companies. 

For some small to medium-sized businesses, a group self-insurance option is possible through the assigned risk pool administered by the Hawaii Employers Mutual Insurance Corporation (HEMIC). 

Exclusions

Most workers in Hawaii are covered by workers’ compensation, which provides medical treatment and disability benefits for work-related injuries or illnesses. In addition to accidents, many workers are compensated for repetitive stress injury (RSI), heart disease, lung disease, and stress-related digestive problems.

All employers in Hawaii are required to have workers’ compensation insurance. This policy provides coverage for employees injured on the job, regardless of whether they are part-time or full-time.

In addition, Hawaii has several exclusions from compulsory workers’ comp coverage. This group includes solo proprietors, a few LLC managers, officers of closely held firms, and a few close relatives.

Some commission-paid real estate salespeople are also exempt, as are railroad/railway firms and their workers, employers with a total annual payroll of less than $3,000 in the immediately preceding year (regardless of the number of employees), textile hall corporations, and other enterprises.

Agricultural employees, most domestic servants in private homes with less than two full-time employees, and some federal government employees are exempt from state workers’ comp coverage.

Some other exclusions include members of limited liability companies who would receive at least 50% of the LLC’s value if it were liquidated or sold. Additionally, some people who are unpaid volunteers, students enrolled in schools and colleges, duly ordained/commissioned ministers and priests, and most public welfare recipients are excluded from state workers’ comp coverage.

Claims

Hawaii workers’ compensation insurance is required for almost all businesses with employees. The policy can provide medical coverage for employees with an on-the-job injury or illness and help employees get back to work as soon as possible.

In addition to covering medical expenses, workers’ comp also pays a portion of lost wages for an injured employee until they can return to work. Temporary total disability benefits replace up to two-thirds of an injured employee’s average weekly wage (AWW) for up to a year following a workplace injury or illness.

Workers’ compensation insurance can also cover travel expenses for an injured employee to and from approved medical treatment. It can include a bus or other public transportation.

The amount of this reimbursement is based on a standard per-mile rate established by the state government. It will vary depending on the injury and where the employee lives.

Employers in Hawaii can buy workers’ compensation insurance through the private market or by becoming self-insurers. The latter requires an application to the director of workers’ comp programs and a demonstration of financial capacity to carry out a plan to protect workers.