• Effective January 1, 2010, all counties that use the services of qualified search and rescue volunteers as defined in House Bill 3021, are deemed to have elected to provide workers' compensation coverage for those volunteers.

• Under the new law, counties who purchase workers' compensation insurance from an insurance carrier are deemed to have elected to cover their search and rescue volunteers under that insurance policy. You should contact your carrier to verify search and rescue employment, payroll, and other information is accurately reflected under your policy.

• Counties that are self-insured or a member of a self-insured employer group must also cover search and rescue volunteers. These counties have the option to buy a workers' compensation policy for their search and rescue volunteers from an insurance carrier or through the assigned risk pool, while continuing to self-insure all other employees. If an insurance policy for search and rescue volunteers is not purchased, coverage for qualified search and rescue volunteers will be considered to be placed under the county's self-insurance certification.

• Under the new law, if qualified search and rescue volunteers are performing search and rescue activities in a governor-declared state of emergency, the workers' compensation liability will be covered by the Oregon Office of Emergency Management.

For additional questions regarding House Bill 3021, please contact:

Workers' Compensation Division
Employer Compliance Unit
503-947-7815
888-877-5670