About Our Organization
About the VSIA
The Virginia Self-Insurers Association, Inc. (VSIA) was organized in 1992 as a non-profit corporation to promote the principles of sound and beneficial self-insurance under the workers' compensation laws applicable to Federal and State workers' compensation in Virginia. VSIA is the only organization in Virginia that on a fulltime basis represents the interests of self-insured employers (both public and private) in the workers' compensation arena.
Membership Benefits / Services
VSIA is a growing organization that offers its membership great value for the dues charged. These benefits and services include:
Advocacy - On issues affecting workers' compensation, VSIA's Legislative Counsel acts as a spokesperson for self-insurers, business and local governments before the Virginia General Assembly and the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission. He reviews and analyzes state and federal workers' compensation legislation and regulatory proposals and advises VSIA's members of the potential impact; lobbies/argues workers' compensation issues before the legislature and the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission; drafts and requests introduction of favorable workers' compensation legislation and amendments; and during legislative sessions provides periodic e-mail updates to members on the status of all workers' compensation legislation. Members are routinely asked for comments on pending legislative and regulatory proposals to ensure that all potential implications are recognized and addressed.
VSIA's lobbying and regulatory advocacy track record is outstanding.
During the past two decades, VSIA's efforts at the Virginia General Assembly have been directly responsible for the defeat or amendment of scores of bills which, in their introduced form, would have significantly increased workers' compensation costs.
VSIA has also been responsible for drafting numerous pieces of legislation which benefited employers, such as a bill that reversed case and statutory law and ensured that the 500-week limitation on benefits in Virginia once again applies to temporary total disability, temporary partial disability, permanent partial disability, or any combination thereof. When the surety bond market got extremely tight, VSIA discussed the issue at length with the Commission and then drafted and successfully lobbied for legislation authorizing self-insurers to also utilize certificates of deposit, United States government obligations, letters of credit, and cash to satisfy their obligations under Virginia's Workers' Compensation Act. VSIA also drafted and successfully lobbied for cost-saving legislation that mandates, under specified circumstances, the use of generic drugs in Virginia workers' compensation cases. Finally, from 2010-2016, VSIA led the fight on behalf of employers to enact a workers’ compensation medical fee schedule which precludes the huge annual increases that were prevalent under Virginia’s prevailing community rate system. As a result of those efforts, compromise fee schedule legislation was signed into law in March of 2016 which requires the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission to develop and implement such a fee schedule by January of 2018.
On the regulatory side, VSIA has participated in numerous Commission studies and regulatory proceedings involving Virginia's Uninsured Employer's Fund, the Commission's Self-Insurance Program, the expedited docket, the Commission's Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) initiative, and the amount that can be charged for copies of medical records in workers' compensation cases. VSIA has and will continue to advocate self-insurers' positions on these and other issues which arise in the future.
Educational Meeting Programs, Communications, and Networking - Members not only benefit from VSIA's lobbying and advocacy efforts, but they also gain valuable information, knowledge, and contacts by attending our educational programs. New and timely topics addressed at these meetings allow attendees to stay up to date on numerous legal and administrative issues and provide a forum where attendees' specific questions can be answered by regional and national experts. Two of these meetings are held each year (the General Meeting is held in the late spring and the Annual Meeting is held in the late fall). VSIA's Active and Government members may send up to four representatives to each meeting for a small per-person pre-paid registration fee; Associate members are entitled to send up to two representatives to each meeting for the same low per-person pre-paid registration fee; additional representatives, those registering at the door, and non-members may attend for a slightly higher fee. These registration fees cover the costs of attendance at the evening cocktail party, as well as breakfast and lunch on the day of the meeting. In addition to the educational benefits of these meetings, they also provide our members and associates with outstanding networking opportunities. Additionally, when important events occur between meetings, VSIA's Legislative Counsel sends out e-mail alerts to the membership to keep them informed.