Massachusetts Updates Workers’ Comp Requirements for Out-of-State Contractors

Here in the Bay State, authorities have recently updated the paperwork requirements for workers’ compensation for some out-of-state contractors doing business in Massachusetts. The Division of Industrial Accidents started requiring a Form 154 this summer to verify workers’ compensation insurance for businesses that had no physical location in the state.

However, the form reportedly subjected workers’ comp insurance agents, carriers, and their clients to fine and stop work orders, because it required a 10-day advance notice of cancellations, a requirement that many insurers are not able to issue. Safety regulators apparently agreed to drop the requirement last month.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue website, out-of-state contractors undertaking a construction contract in Massachusetts are also required to deposit with the Commissioner of Revenue a sum equivalent to 6.25% of the total amount of the contract. Alternatively, they may provide the Commissioner with a Guarantee Bond equivalent to 6.25% of such total amount.

Source: Massachusetts Revises Workers’ Comp Paperwork Snafu, Insurance Journal, November 5, 2010
Contact the Boston workers’ compensation law firm of Altman & Altman if you are a worker with questions on your legal rights regarding workers’ compensation or workplace injuries.