1. An employer may qualify and remain qualified as a self-insured employer by establishing to the satisfaction of the Commissioner that the employer has sufficient administrative and financial resources to make certain the prompt payment of all compensation under chapters 616A to 616D, inclusive, or chapter 617 of NRS. For the purposes of this subsection, an employer has sufficient financial resources if:

(a) At the time of initial qualification and until the employer has operated successfully as a qualified self-insured employer for 3 years, as determined by the Commissioner, the employer has a tangible net worth of not less than $2,500,000, as evidenced by a statement of tangible net worth provided to the Division of Insurance of the Department of Business and Industry by an independent certified public accountant; or

(b) After 3 years of successful operation as a qualified self-insured employer, as determined by the Commissioner, the employer has net cash flows from operating activities plus net cash flows from financing activities of five times the average of claims paid for each of the last 3 years or $7,500,000, whichever is less.

2. A self-insured employer must, in addition to establishing financial ability to pay, deposit with the Commissioner a bond executed by the employer as principal, and by a corporation qualified under the laws of this State as surety, payable to the State of Nevada, and conditioned upon the payment of compensation for injuries and occupational diseases to employees. The bond must be in an amount reasonably sufficient to ensure payment of compensation, but in no event may it be less than 105 percent of the employer’s expected annual incurred cost of claims, or less than $100,000. In arriving at an amount for the expected annual cost of claims, due consideration must be given to the past and prospective experience of the employer with losses and expenses within this State, to the hazard of catastrophic loss, to other contingencies, and to trends within the State. In arriving at the amount of the deposit required, the Commissioner may consider the nature of the employer’s business, the financial ability of the employer to pay compensation and the employer’s probable continuity of operation.

3. In lieu of a bond, the employer may deposit with the Commissioner a like amount of lawful money of the United States or any other form of security authorized by NRS 100.065. If security is provided in the form of a savings certificate, certificate of deposit or investment certificate, the certificate must state that the amount is unavailable for withdrawal except upon order of the Commissioner.

4. The required deposit may be increased or decreased by the Commissioner in accordance with chapter 681B of NRS and the Commissioner’s regulations for loss reserves in casualty insurance. If the Commissioner requires an employer to increase his or her deposit, the Commissioner may specify the form of the additional security. The employer shall comply with such a requirement within 60 days after receiving notice from the Commissioner.

5. The Commissioner shall require the self-insured employer to submit evidence of excess insurance to provide protection against a catastrophic loss. The excess insurance must be written by an insurer authorized to do business in this State. The Commissioner shall consider the excess insurance coverage as a basis for a reduction in the deposit required of an employer.

6. The Account for Self-Insured Employers is hereby created in the State Agency Fund for Bonds. All money received by the Commissioner pursuant to this section must be deposited with the State Treasurer to the credit of the Account for Self-Insured Employers. All claims against this Account must be paid as other claims against the State are paid.

(Added to NRS by 1979, 1035; A 1981, 269, 1465; 1985, 582, 933; 1989, 1078; 1991, 1799; 1993, 2403; 2007, 3334)