The Basics of Michigan Workers’ Compensation
Who Is Covered?
Any private employer who has three or more employees at any one time, or who employs one or more workers for 35 or more hours per week for 13 or more weeks, is subject to Michigan’s workers’ compensation law. Agricultural employers must provide workmans’ comp coverage if they have three or more employees who work 35 hours or more per week for over 13 weeks a year. Domestic employees who work more than 35 hours per week for 13 weeks or longer during the preceding 52 weeks are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits in Michigan.
Named partners and officers who are shareholders of small, closely-held corporations may exempt themselves from Michigan workers’ compensation coverage. The Worker's Disability Compensation Act covers the employees of a sole proprietorship, but the
self-employed sole proprietor does not have to be covered. Independent contractors may be covered by Michigan workmans’ comp, under certain circumstances.
They are considered to be employees and qualify for coverage if they do not maintain a separate business, do not render services to the public, and do not employ other workers. A few classes of workers who are covered under federal laws are not covered under the Michigan Worker's Disability Compensation Act:
- Federal employees (postal workers, Veterans Administration workers, etc.)
- People who work on interstate railroads
- Seamen on navigable waters
- People who load and unload vessels
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Okay, so he can choose to get the coverage or not. Bill the wife's insurance. Expect they will deny the first claim. Tell the patient to have his wife call the insurance and tell them that the spouse has a work comp injury, and as a self-employed person, he doesn't carry coverage (and does not have to carry coverage), and ask them to pay the claims.