Title 34, Chapter 9, Section 156
( 34-9-156)
(a) A member may elect to terminate voluntarily its participation in
a fund by giving at least 90 days' advance written notice to the
fund and to the Commissioner, unless the fund elects to meet the
requirements of subsection (e) of this Code section. Such voluntary
termination shall be approved by the Commissioner, or the fund, upon
a finding by the Commissioner, or the fund, that such member is in
good standing and that both member and fund have met all
requirements of this article and of any rules and regulations issued
by the Commissioner and the fund as of the proposed effective date
of termination. (b)(1)(A) A member may be involuntarily terminated as a member
of a fund upon a finding by the Commissioner, after due notice
and hearing, that such member has failed to comply with the
requirements of this article or with the bylaws of the fund or
the applicable intrastate agreement. Such hearings may be
initiated by the Commissioner either upon the Commissioner's own
motion or upon a recommendation of the board of the fund or the
member facing involuntary termination. In the Commissioner's
discretion, any hearings arising from this Code section may be
consolidated if the issues involved are the same or
substantially similar to those of other scheduled hearings. (B) The trustees of a fund may involuntarily terminate a member
of the fund if the fund elects to meet the requirements of
subsection (e) of this Code section and if the trustees find
that such member has failed to comply with the requirements of
this article or with the bylaws of the fund or the applicable
intrastate agreement. (2) A member may be involuntarily terminated for failure to pay
its proportionate share or any premiums or installments thereof
due the fund or for failure otherwise to discharge its obligations
to the fund when due. Written notice stating the time when the
termination will be effective, which time shall be not less than
15 days from the date of notice or such other specific longer
period as may be provided in the intrastate agreement or by
statute, may be delivered in person or by depositing such notice
in the United States mail, to be dispatched by at least
first-class mail to the last address of record of the member, and
receiving therefor the receipt provided by the United States
Postal Service. Such notice may or may not be accompanied by a
tender of the unearned premium paid by the member, calculated on a
pro rata basis. If such tender is not made simultaneously with
such notice, it shall be made within 15 days of notice of
termination unless an audit or rate investigation is required, in
which case such tender shall be made as soon as practicable. (c) Any member who either voluntarily terminates membership or is
involuntarily terminated from membership in a fund pursuant to this
Code section shall remain jointly and severally liable for all
obligations of the fund as of the date of such termination,
including, but not limited to, any obligations of the fund to pay
claims against the fund arising out of any occurrence, incident, or
accident which took place during the member's membership in the
fund. (d) Any member who is voluntarily terminated or is involuntarily
terminated shall be provided with the data necessary for the
replacement workers' compensation insurer to determine or have
determined an experience modifier for such former member. (e) A fund may submit criteria to the Commissioner to be used in the
removal of a member from the fund and unless the Commissioner
disapproves the criteria in writing in 90 days, the fund shall be
authorized to voluntarily or involuntarily remove a member from the
fund according to the submitted criteria. The Commissioner, in
conjunction with any examination of the fund, shall ensure that the
fund is complying with the criteria submitted and approved by the
Commissioner. |