The OWCP will consider for the granting of authority to write insurance under the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act and its extensions the application of any stock company, mutual company or association, or any other person or fund, while authorized under the laws of the United States or for any State to insure workmen's compensation. The term “carrier” as used in this part means any person or fund duly authorized to insure workmen's compensation benefits under said Act, or its extensions.

An application for authority to write insurance under this Act shall be made in writing, signed by an officer of the applicant duly authorized to make such application, and transmitted to the Office of Workmen's Compensation Programs, U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20210. Such application shall be accompanied by full and complete information regarding the history and experience of such applicant in the writing of workmen's compensation insurance, together with evidence that it has authority in its charter or form of organization to write such insurance, and evidence that the applicant is currently authorized to insure workmen's compensation liability under the laws of the United States or of any State. The statements of fact in each application and in the supporting evidence shall be verified by the oath of the officer of the applicant who signs such application. Each applicant shall state in its application the area or areas, in which it intends to do business. In connection with any such application the following shall be submitted, the Office reserving the right to call for such additional information as it may deem necessary in any particular case:

(a) A copy of the last annual report made by the applicant to the insurance department or other authority of the State in which it is incorporated, or the State in which its principal business is done.

(b) A certified copy from the proper State authorities of the paper purporting to show the action taken upon such report, or such other evidence as the applicant desires to submit in respect of such report, which may obviate delay caused by an inquiry of the OWCP of the State authorities relative to the standing and responsibility of the applicant.

(c) A full and complete statement of its financial condition, if not otherwise shown, and, if a stock company, shall show specifically its capital stock and surplus.

(d) A copy of its charter or other formal outline of its organization, its rules, its bylaws, and other documents, writings, or agreements by and under which it does business, and such other evidence as it may deem proper to make a full exposition of its affairs and financial condition.

A stock company furnishing evidence that it is authorized to write workmen's compensation insurance under the laws of the United States or of any State, which holds a certificate of authority from the Secretary of the Treasury as an acceptable surety on Federal bonds, unless requested to do so, need not transmit to the Office with its application copies of such financial reports as are on file in the Department of the Treasury. The acceptance by that Department of such a company will be considered by the Office in conjunction with the application of such company, provided there has been compliance with the other requirements of the regulations in this part.

Any applicant currently authorized by the Office to write insurance under any extension of the LHWCA need not support its application under the LHWCA or any other LHWCA extension with the evidence required by the regulations in this part, except the form of policy and endorsement which it proposes to use, unless specifically requested by the Office, but instead its application may refer to the fact that it has been so authorized.

With each application for authority to write insurance there shall be submitted for the approval of the Office copies of the forms of policies which the applicant proposes to issue in writing insurance under the LHWCA, or its extensions, to which shall be attached the appropriate endorsement to be used in connection therewith.

No corporation, company, association, person, or fund shall write insurance under this Act without first having received from the OWCP a certificate of authority to write such insurance. Any such certificate issued by the Office, after application therefor in accordance with these regulations, may authorize the applicant to write such insurance in a limited territory as determined by the Office. Any such certificate may be suspended or revoked by the Office prior to its expiration for good cause shown, but no suspension or revocation shall affect the liability of any carrier already incurred. Good cause shall include, without limitation, the failure to maintain in such limited territory a regular business office with full authority to act on all matters falling within the Act, and the failure to promptly and properly perform the carrier's responsibilities under the Act and these regulations, with special emphasis upon lack of promptness in making payments when due, upon failure to furnish appropriate medical care, and upon attempts to offer to, or urge upon, claimants inequitable settlements. A hearing may be requested by the aggrieved party and shall be held before the Director or his representative prior to the taking of any adverse action under this section.

Effective with the end of the authorization period July 1, 1983, through June 30, 1984, annual reauthorization of authority to write insurance coverage under the Act is no longer necessary. Beginning July 1, 1984, and thereafter, newly issued Certificates of Authority will show no expiration date. Certificates of Authority will remain in force for so long as the carrier complies with the requirements of the OWCP.

(a) The following form of endorsement application to the standard workmen's compensation and employer's liability policy, shall be used, if required by the OWCP, with the form of policy approved by the Office for use by an authorized carrier:

Where the form of endorsement prescribed by § 703.109 is not appropriate when used in conjunction with a form of policy approved for use by the Office no modification thereof shall be used unless specifically approved by the Office. Where the form of policy is designed to include therein the obligations of the insurer under said Act without the use of the appropriate endorsements, the policy shall contain the provisions required to be included in any of the endorsements. Such a policy, however, shall not be used until expressly approved by the Office.

No new forms of policies or modification of existing forms of policies shall be used by an insurer authorized by the Office under the regulations in this part to write insurance under said Act except after submission to and approval by the Office. No endorsement altering any provisions of a policy approved by the Office shall be used except after submission to and approval by the Office.

A policy or contract of insurance shall be issued for the term of not less than 1 year from the date that it becomes effective, but if such insurance be not needed except for a particular contract or operation, the term of the policy may be limited to the period of such contract or operation.

A longshoremen's policy, or the longshoremen's endorsement provided for by § 703.109 for attachment to a marine policy, may specify the particular vessel or vessels in respect of which the policy applies and the address of the employer at the home port thereof. The report of the issuance of a policy or endorsement required by § 703.116 must be made to DLHWC and must show the name and address of the owner as well as the name or names of such vessel or vessels.

Cancellation of a contract or policy of insurance issued under authority of the Act will not become effective otherwise than as provided by 33 U.S.C. 936(b); 30 days before such cancellation is intended to be effective, notice of a proposed cancellation must be given to the district director and the employer in accordance with the provisions of 33 U.S.C. 912(c). The notice requirements of 33 U.S.C. 912(c) will be considered met when:

(a) Notice to the district director is given by a method specified in § 702.101(a) of this chapter or in the same manner that reports of issuance of policies and endorsements are reported under § 703.116; and

(b) Notice to the employer is given by a method specified in § 702.101(b) of this chapter.

Every obligation and duty in respect of payment of compensation, the providing of medical and other treatment and care, the payment or furnishing of any other benefit required by said Act and in respect of the carrying out of the administrative procedure required or imposed by said Act or the regulations in this part upon an employer shall be discharged and carried out by the carrier except that the prescribed report of injury or death shall be sent by the employer to the district director and to the insurance carrier as required by 33 U.S.C. 930. Such carrier shall be jointly responsible with the employer for the submission of all reports, notices, forms, and other administrative papers required by the district director or the Office in the administration of said Act to be submitted by the employer, but any form or paper so submitted where required therein shall contain in addition to the name and address of the carrier, the full name and address of the employer on whose behalf it is submitted. Notice to or knowledge of an employer of the occurrence of the injury or death shall be notice to or knowledge of such carrier. Jurisdiction of the employer by a district director, the Office, or appropriate appellate authority under said Act shall be jurisdiction of such carrier. Any requirement under any compensation order, finding, or decision shall be binding upon such carrier in the same manner and to the same extent as upon the employer.

Each carrier must report to DLHWC each policy and endorsement issued by it to an employer whose employees are engaging in work subject to the Act and its extensions. Such reports must be made in a manner prescribed by OWCP. Reports made to an OWCP-authorized intermediary, such as an industry data collection organization, satisfy this reporting requirement.

The report of issuance of a policy and endorsement provided for in § 703.116 or notice of cancellation provided for in § 703.114 must be sent by the home office of the carrier, except that any carrier may authorize its agency or agencies in any compensation district to make such reports, provided the carrier notifies DLHWC of the agencies so duly authorized.

Every applicant for the authority to write insurance under the provisions of this Act, will be deemed to have included in its application an agreement that the acceptance by DLHWC of a report of insurance, as provided for by § 703.116, binds the carrier to full liability for the obligations under this Act of the employer named in said report, and every certificate of authority to write insurance under this Act will be deemed to have been issued by the Office upon consideration of the carrier's agreement to become so bound. It will be no defense to this agreement that the carrier failed or delayed to issue the policy to the employer covered by this report.

For policies that are reported to DLHWC on Form LS-570 (Carrier's Report of Issuance of Policy), a separate report of the issuance of a policy and endorsement, provided for by § 703.116, must be made for each employer covered by a policy. If a policy is issued insuring more than one employer, a separate form LS-570 for each employer so covered must be sent to DLHWC in the manner described in § 703.116, with the name of only one employer on each form.