Alaska Statutes: AS 21.39.043. Workers' Compensation Loss Cost Filings and Assigned Risk Pool Rate Filings.

Alaska Statutes. Title 21. Insurance Chapter 39. Rates and Rating Organizations Section 43. Workers' Compensation Loss Cost Filings and Assigned Risk Pool Rate Filings.

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AS 21.39.043. Workers' Compensation Loss Cost Filings and Assigned Risk Pool Rate Filings.

(a) On at least an annual calendar year basis, a rating organization shall make a workers' compensation prospective loss cost filing and an assigned risk pool rate filing, even if the rating organization determines that a change in the prospective loss costs or rates is not indicated.
(b) A rating organization shall submit a prospective loss cost filing and an assigned risk pool rate filing to the director not less than 125 days before the proposed effective date of each filing.
(c) At the time a prospective loss cost filing and assigned risk pool rate filing are submitted to the director under (b) of this section, the rating organization shall make available to any member or subscriber that may be affected by the filings a complete copy of the filings, together with the materials, aggregate data, and other information submitted in support of the filings. The prospective loss cost and assigned risk pool rate filings and supporting information are available for public inspection. Before the hearing under (d) of this section, members and subscribers may submit interrogatories to the rating organization, including requests for additional supporting information concerning the filings.
(d) The director shall hold an administrative hearing on whether a prospective loss cost filing meets the requirements of this chapter and whether the filing should be approved, disapproved, or modified, in whole or in part. The director shall hold the hearing not earlier than 20 days and not later than 25 days after the date of receipt of the prospective loss cost filing by the director. The director may adopt regulations governing the conduct of the hearing subject to the following:

(1) the director shall sit in a quasi-judicial capacity;

(2) an interested party may

(A) have a reasonable opportunity to inspect the filing and supporting information and to examine witnesses, including the designated actuary and other witnesses of the rating organization;

(B) present witnesses, oral and written testimony, and documentary evidence; and

(C) apply for subpoenas to be issued by the director to compel attendance of witnesses and the production of evidence on the interested party's behalf;

(3) evidence and testimony from interested parties is limited to matters relevant to a determination of whether the filing's prospective loss costs meet the requirements of this chapter and may include a recommendation for approval, disapproval, or modification of the prospective loss cost filing;

(4) the director shall record the hearing;

(5) formal rules of pleading or evidence need not be observed;

(6) the director may conduct part or all of a hearing by teleconference and allow a witness to testify telephonically; and

(7) the director shall leave the hearing record open for 10 days after the date of the hearing, during which time interested parties may submit additional written testimony and documentary evidence concerning the prospective loss cost filing to the director subject to the limitations of (3) of this subsection, and members and subscribers may submit to the rating organization and to the director proposed modifications to the prospective loss cost filing accompanied by the information upon which the member or subscriber supports the modification.
(e) The director shall review the prospective loss cost filing and the evidence presented through the hearing process within 15 days after the hearing. The 15-day period may be extended for an additional 15 days if the director gives written notice within the first 15-day period to the rating organization that additional time for consideration of the filing is required. If, under (d)(7) of this section, evidence is provided to support a modification and the rating organization does not include the requested modification in the filing, the director shall require that the rating organization rebut the evidence to show why the modification should not be included. The director may request that the rating organization

(1) provide additional supporting information for the filing; or

(2) modify the filing based on evidence provided through the hearing process.
(f) The rating organization shall file its rebuttal, if required by the director under (e) of this section, and any other information requested under (e)(1) of this section, or its modification of the loss cost filing under (e)(2) of this section within 15 days after receipt of the director's request unless additional time is allowed by the director. The director shall review the rating organization's responses to the director's interrogatories within 15 days after receipt of the response. The 15-day period may be extended for an additional 15 days if the director gives written notice within the first 15-day period to the rating organization that additional time for consideration of the filing is required.
(g) Subject to AS 21.06.060 (f), all communications under this section between the director, the rating organization, and any interested party concerning a prospective loss cost filing, including the director's interrogatories, the rating organization's written responses, modified filings and all supporting information, except for information related to a particular insured, are part of the filing record and are available for public inspection.
(h) The rating organization shall make available to a member or subscriber all information that is available for public inspection under this section as soon as possible after issuance or receipt of the information by the director. Other interested parties may obtain copies of public documents from the director.
(i) The director shall issue a written order approving or disapproving the prospective loss cost filing and the assigned risk pool rate filing. The order must include details of the director's reasoning for approving or disapproving the filings.
(j) A separate prospective loss cost filing submitted solely to address an amendment to AS 23.30 is not subject to the procedures of this section, but shall be reviewed and approved or disapproved by the director in accordance with AS 21.39.040 (d). A filing under this subsection, together with all supporting information and communications between the director and the rating organization, is available for public inspection.
(k) A written order of the director under this section is subject to review by appeal to the superior court. An appeal under this section shall be filed with the court within 30 days after the date of the written order. The court shall determine whether the filing of the appeal will operate as a stay of the order.
(l) A filing made under this section is subject to all other provisions of this chapter except to the extent that the other provisions are inconsistent with this section. AS 21.39.080 does not apply to a prospective loss cost filing by a workers' compensation rating organization.
(m) An assigned risk pool filing is not directly subject to (d) - (h) of this section.
(n) In this section,

(1) "assigned risk pool rate filing" means the filing submitted by a rating organization for rates proposed to be charged by the rating organization for the assigned risk pool insurance under AS 21.39.155 ;

(2) "interested party" means

(A) an employer association;

(B) an employee or labor association;

(C) a producer;

(D) a producer association;

(E) an insurer member or subscriber of the rating organization; and

(F) other persons who are substantially affected by the loss cost filing;

(3) "prospective loss cost filing" means the historical aggregate losses and loss adjustment expenses upon which a portion of a rate is based, adjusted through trending to a future point in time, but does not include expenses, other than loss adjustment expenses, or profit.

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