How do I acquire a Nevada workers’ compensation account?

If you are an employer in Nevada, you can search for workers’ compensation insurance carriers on the Nevada Division of Industrial Relations page. Currently, there are about 400 authorized insurance companies providing workers’ compensation insurance in Nevada.

Alternatively, you can contact a business insurance broker to match you with a workers’ comp insurer that best meets your company’s needs.

Does my company need workers’ compensation insurance?

If you have at least one employee, Nevada workers’ compensation laws require your company to carry workers’ comp insurance. There is no exception for small businesses, and it does not matter whether business operations are located in Las Vegas, Reno, or a rural area.

Note that your company may be eligible to be “self-insured” for workers’ comp if it meets certain criteria, such as:

• having a tangible net worth of at least $2.5 million;
• establishing a security deposit of at least $100,000;
• having insurance that protects against catastrophic loss; and
• having claims administration.¹

How soon do I need to purchase workers’ compensation insurance?

Under Nevada workers’ compensation program, companies with at least one employee need workers’ compensation insurance from day one. There is no “grace period.”²

What happens if my company does not carry workers’ compensation insurance?

Nevada companies that have at least one employee and that fail to carry workers’ compensation insurance face:

• $15,000 fines;
• business closure; and/or
• costs of paying for an injured worker’s medical care and other expenses³

Can my employees still sue me if I have workers’ comp coverage?

Usually not. The primary benefit of having workers’ compensation coverage is that – in most cases – injured employees cannot sue you. Filing for a workers’ compensation claim is their “exclusive remedy” for obtaining healthcare and disability benefits.⁴

What does workers’ compensation insurance do for my employees?

Depending on the nature of your employee’s work-related injuries and job duties, workers’ compensation benefits include paying or:

• medical treatments for your employee’s workplace injury or occupational disease;
• vocational rehabilitation, if necessary; and
• mileage reimbursement for traveling to medical providers covered by your workers’ comp policy.

While your employee remains injured, workers’ comp also pays:

• temporary partial disability, if the employee can do some work during the healing process;
• temporary total disability (TTD), if the employee cannot work at all during the recovery process;
• permanent partial disability, if the employee can do some work but has a permanent impairment that precludes them from resuming their old duties; or
• permanent total disability (PTD), if the employee cannot work again, ever.

(In some cases, employees may elect to take a lump sum rather than regular payments.)

In the event your employee passes away from the injury, workers’ comp pays out death benefits to their family.⁵

Does it matter who was at fault for the work injury?

No. Workers’ compensation insurance is not “fault insurance.” Your employees do not need to prove you were to blame in order to collect under Nevada’s workers’ compensation system.

Your employees just need to follow protocol (such as providing you notice of injury and completing the required paperwork) to collect on workers’ comp.⁶

Legal References