Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
Latest: Governor Mike DeWine proposes $1.5 billion dividend for Ohio employers
- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is asking the board for the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) to send up to $1.5 billion to Ohio employers this fall to ease the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on Ohio’s economy and business community.
- BWC’s board of directors will vote on this proposal Sept. 25.
- If approved, this is our second dividend of $1 billion or more since April and our third since 2019, all at the governor’s urging. All told, this equals $4.3 billion since 2019.
- Checks could start going out in late October.
- This proposed dividend equals approximately 100% of the premiums employers paid in policy year 2019.
- BWC will apply the dividend to an employer’s outstanding balances first, including recent installment deferrals. Any amounts exceeding outstanding balances will be sent to the employer. For those employers, it means one less bill to worry about.
- Employers must complete their true up for the 2019 policy year by Oct. 2, 2020, in order to be eligible for the dividend.
- As in previous years, the dividend is possible due to strong investment returns on employer premiums, a declining number of claims each year, and prudent fiscal management. It’s also due to employers who work hard to improve workplace safety and reduce injury claims.
See below for details on BWC’s masks initiative, Protecting Ohio’s Workforce — We’ve Got You Covered.
Masks
- BWC’s Board of Directors voted Friday (Aug. 21) to approve Gov. DeWine’s request that we distribute a second round of face coverings (masks) to Ohio employers and their workforce as part of our Protecting Ohio’s Workforce — We’ve Got You Covered initiative.
- Since May, we have shipped 20.6 million masks to 197,000 employers under this initiative. In a second round, we will ship approximately 23 million masks to employers to replace masks that have exhausted their effective use.
- This is to minimize the spread of COVID-19. As you know, state and federal public health experts say wearing a mask decreases the risk of a carrier spreading the coronavirus to others.
- We are not billing employers for these masks. This comes at no extra charge to their premiums.
- We are working hard to purchase as many of these masks as possible from manufacturers here in Ohio.
For more on COVID-19 as it relates to BWC, visit our FAQ page at bwc.ohio.gov. For the latest on COVID-19 in Ohio, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov.