VT Gov. Announces Lower WC Insurance Rates

Montpelier, VT (CompNewsNetwork) - Governor Jim Douglas today announced that workers' compensation insurance would cost less for most Vermont employers when new rates approved by the Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration (BISHCA) become effective on April 1, 2010. This is the fourth straight year Vermont rates have decreased.

“I am pleased to announce another year of decreased workers' compensation rates. This is excellent news, especially for the many Vermont small businesses that will benefit from this decrease,” said Governor Douglas. “Four consecutive years of decreased rates would not be possible without employers' continued attention to the issue of workplace safety, and the work of state regulators who successfully maintain a positive business environment for insurers.”

In the voluntary market – the competitive market offering the most favorable rates – loss costs will decrease by an average of 4.1 percent. Loss costs are the primary component of workers' compensation rates. 93.4 percent of Vermont employers receive voluntary market coverage. In the assigned risk market – the market for employers unable to obtain coverage in the voluntary market – rates will also decrease by an average of 2.9 percent.

BISHCA Commissioner Paulette J. Thabault echoed the Governor's comments. “The health of Vermont's workers' compensation market has clearly improved over the past several years, as reflected in these lower rates and the declining number of employers in the assigned risk market," said Thabault. “It is also important to recognize that businesses across Vermont have worked hard to create a culture of safety at their workplaces, and the reduced costs that many employers will experience with this rate decrease are a direct result of their efforts.”

Rate changes vary by industry and classification. Of particular note among 2010 rates are significant reductions for two iconic Vermont industries: dairy farms (-18.9%) and ski areas (-12.9%).

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