November 1, 2012
In North Carolina, businesses or companies with three or more employees are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance so that if a worker is hurt on the job, their medical bills and lost wages will be covered. The problem is that more than 30,000 employers in North Carolina don’t carry this insurance.
The News Observer reports that employees could previously find out if a potential employer carried workers’ compensation insurance, but can no longer do so due to a recent change in law making information from insurers about a company’s coverage status private. One man learned this lesson the hard way after being injured in an on-the-job car accident and only finding out his employer didn’t have coverage when he prepared to file a Raleigh Workers’ Compensation claim.
The change in law came after the North Carolina Rate Bureau, an organization that collects data on employer’s insurance coverage, claimed the Industrial Commission shared information with a private company that would sell the figures to insurance companies as potential new business leads, putting personal information like Social Security numbers and payroll in public view.
The North Carolina Personal Injury Lawyers with HensonFuerst Injury Lawyers are hopeful state lawmakers will be able to find a way to make such vital information public again. Until then, the firm would suggest contacting an attorney to discuss your legal rights immediately if you are hurt in a work-related accident.