Insurance Requirements
Colorado employers are required to carry workers' compensation insurance if they have one or more employees. This applies to all employers, regardless of whether the employees are part-time, full-time, or family members. Anyone who gets paid for the work they perform is presumed to be an employee. Learn more about your responsibilities as an employer on the Insurance Requirements page.
View the Insurance Requirements Brochure
Ver el Requisitos para Empleadores del Seguro de Compensacion para Trabajadores
How to Get Coverage
Protect your business and employees by getting a workers' compensation insurance policy. You can get coverage from a commercial insurance carrier or companies that qualify by applying to become self-insured. Find a workers' compensation carrier. (When using the insurance carrier search tool, make sure to select "Colorado" from the "State" dropdown, select "Company" from the "Entity Type" portion, select "Workers' Compensation" from the "Authorized Line Type" and press "Submit" to see alphabetized results.) Pinnacol Assurance is required to provide workers' compensation coverage for any Colorado employer.
You can find out more about acquiring coverage on the How to Get Workers’ Compensation Coverage page. Visit the Self-Insurance page for information about self-insurance or for self-insured employers who need to file their annual permit renewal.
Independent Contractors and Coverage Exemptions
There are exemptions to carrying workers' compensation insurance. The most common exemption is independent contractors; however, contractors have specific requirements. Find out more on the Independent Contractors and Coverage Exemptions page.
Reporting Injuries
You must notify the insurance carrier of an injury within 10 days, no matter how minor the injury is. This is done by filing an Employer's First Report of Injury form (WC 1). Filing this form is not necessarily an admission of the facts; it is a statement that the employee is making a claim.
If you have an accident where an employee dies, or three or more employees are injured, you must contact your insurance company immediately. Learn more on the Reporting Injuries page.
Designating Medical Providers
You must provide the injured worker with a designated provider list in non-emergency situations or when emergency care is no longer required.
A designated provider list must:
- be provided immediately upon notice of the injury;
- be provided as a written copy to the injured worker within seven business days of the report of the injury;
- have four physicians and/or corporate medical providers within a 30-mile radius that are willing to treat the injured worker; and
- Exceptions can apply to rural areas, and telemedicine is permissible.
- include complete contact information for the insurance carrier/self-insured employer.
If no physician is properly designated, the employee may select the health care provider of their choice. More information can be located on the Designating a Medical Provider page.
Free Safety Program to Reduce Premiums
Over the last 23 years, the Premium Cost Containment (PCC) Program has helped over 8,000 Colorado employers save money, improve safety, and protect workers. The PCC Program provides free support and guidance from industry professionals to help employers create, implement, and maintain exceptional workplace safety programs. The safety and loss experts with the PCC program are here to guide you through the certification process.
Email the PCC Program Team to Get Started
Resources for Employers
**The Notice to Employer of Injury Poster must be displayed on the workplace premises. View Rule 3: Insurance Coverage to learn more about the required use of the poster supplied by the Division of Workers' Compensation, which is 27x40. Please contact your insurance carrier for copies or instructions for printing if you are commercially insured.
Contact Us
Division of Workers' Compensation
633 17th Street, Suite 400
Denver, CO 80202
303-318-8700
1-888-390-7936 (Toll-Free)
cdle_wccustomer_service@state.co.us
Have a complaint? Please email complaints to cdle_wc_complaints@state.co.us.