South Carolina § 42-7-320 - Termination of Second Injury Fund; schedule.

§ 42-7-320. Termination of Second Injury Fund; schedule.

(A) Except as otherwise provided in this section, on and after July 1, 2013, the programs and appropriations of the Second Injury Fund are terminated. The State Fiscal Accountability Authority must provide for the efficient and expeditious closure of the fund with the orderly winding down of the affairs of the fund so that the remaining liabilities of the fund are paid utilizing assessments, accelerated assessments, annuities, loss portfolio transfers, or such other mechanisms as are reasonably determined necessary to fund any remaining liabilities of the fund. The Department of Insurance and the Workers' Compensation Commission may submit comments and suggestions to be considered by the State Fiscal Accountability Authority in planning for the closure of the fund. The State Fiscal Accountability Authority shall cause all necessary actions to be taken to provide appropriate staffing of the fund until such time as the staff services are no longer required to administer the obligations of the fund. The fund's administrative costs, including employee salaries and benefits, shall be paid from the Second Injury Fund Trust if the interest from the trust becomes insufficient to pay these obligations.

(B) After December 31, 2011, the Second Injury Fund shall not accept a claim for reimbursement from any employer, self-insurer, or insurance carrier. The fund shall not consider a claim for reimbursement for an injury that occurs on or after July 1, 2008.

(1) An employer, self-insurer, or insurance carrier must notify the Second Injury Fund of a potential claim by December 31, 2010. Failure to submit notice by December 31, 2010, shall bar an employer, self-insurer, or insurance carrier from recovery from the fund.

(2) An employer, self-insurer, or insurance carrier must submit all required information for consideration of accepting a claim to the Second Injury Fund by June 30, 2011. Failure to submit all required information to the fund by June 30, 2011, so that the claim can be accepted, compromised, or denied shall bar an employer, self-insurer, or insurance carrier from recovery from the fund.

(3) Insurance carriers, self-insurers, and the State Accident Fund remain liable for Second Injury Fund assessments, as determined by the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, in order to pay accepted claims. The fund shall continue reimbursing employers and insurance carriers for claims accepted by the fund on or before December 31, 2011.

HISTORY: 2007 Act No. 111, Pt II, SECTION 5, eff July 1, 2007, applicable to injuries that occur on or after that date.

Code Commissioner's Note

At the direction of the Code Commissioner, references in this section to the offices of the former State Budget and Control Board, Office of the Governor, or other agencies, were changed to reflect the transfer of them to the Department of Administration or other entities, pursuant to the directive of the South Carolina Restructuring Act, 2014 Act No. 121, SECTION 5(D)(1), effective July 1, 2015.