NRS616D.120. Administrative fines and benefit penalties for certain violations; powers of Administrator; revocation or withdrawal of certificate of self-insurance or registration as third-party administrator; claim against bond for payment of administrative fines or benefit penalties.

      1.  Except as otherwise provided in this section, if the Administrator determines that an insurer, organization for managed care, health care provider, third-party administrator, employer or employee leasing company has:

      (a) Induced a claimant to fail to report an accidental injury or occupational disease;

      (b) Without justification, persuaded a claimant to:

             (1) Settle for an amount which is less than reasonable;

             (2) Settle for an amount which is less than reasonable while a hearing or an appeal is pending; or

             (3) Accept less than the compensation found to be due the claimant by a hearing officer, appeals officer, court of competent jurisdiction, written settlement agreement, written stipulation or the Division when carrying out its duties pursuant to chapters 616A to 617, inclusive, of NRS;

      (c) Refused to pay or unreasonably delayed payment to a claimant of compensation or other relief found to be due the claimant by a hearing officer, appeals officer, court of competent jurisdiction, written settlement agreement, written stipulation or the Division when carrying out its duties pursuant to chapters 616A to 616D, inclusive, or chapter 617 of NRS, if the refusal or delay occurs:

             (1) Later than 10 days after the date of the settlement agreement or stipulation;

             (2) Later than 30 days after the date of the decision of a court, hearing officer, appeals officer or the Division, unless a stay has been granted; or

             (3) Later than 10 days after a stay of the decision of a court, hearing officer, appeals officer or the Division has been lifted;

      (d) Refused to process a claim for compensation pursuant to chapters 616A to 616D, inclusive, or chapter 617 of NRS;

      (e) Made it necessary for a claimant to initiate proceedings pursuant to chapters 616A to 616D, inclusive, or chapter 617 of NRS for compensation or other relief found to be due the claimant by a hearing officer, appeals officer, court of competent jurisdiction, written settlement agreement, written stipulation or the Division when carrying out its duties pursuant to chapters 616A to 616D, inclusive, or chapter 617 of NRS;

      (f) Failed to comply with the Division’s regulations covering the payment of an assessment relating to the funding of costs of administration of chapters 616A to 617, inclusive, of NRS;

      (g) Failed to provide or unreasonably delayed payment to an injured employee or reimbursement to an insurer pursuant to NRS 616C.165;

      (h) Engaged in a pattern of untimely payments to injured employees; or

      (i) Intentionally failed to comply with any provision of, or regulation adopted pursuant to, this chapter or chapter 616A, 616B, 616C or 617 of NRS,

Ê the Administrator shall impose an administrative fine of $1,500 for each initial violation, or a fine of $15,000 for a second or subsequent violation.

      2.  Except as otherwise provided in chapters 616A to 616D, inclusive, or chapter 617 of NRS, if the Administrator determines that an insurer, organization for managed care, health care provider, third-party administrator, employer or employee leasing company has failed to comply with any provision of this chapter or chapter 616A, 616B, 616C or 617 of NRS, or any regulation adopted pursuant thereto, the Administrator may take any of the following actions:

      (a) Issue a notice of correction for:

             (1) A minor violation, as defined by regulations adopted by the Division; or

             (2) A violation involving the payment of compensation in an amount which is greater than that required by any provision of this chapter or chapter 616A, 616B, 616C or 617 of NRS, or any regulation adopted pursuant thereto.

Ê The notice of correction must set forth with particularity the violation committed and the manner in which the violation may be corrected. The provisions of this section do not authorize the Administrator to modify or negate in any manner a determination or any portion of a determination made by a hearing officer, appeals officer or court of competent jurisdiction or a provision contained in a written settlement agreement or written stipulation.

      (b) Impose an administrative fine for:

             (1) A second or subsequent violation for which a notice of correction has been issued pursuant to paragraph (a); or

             (2) Any other violation of this chapter or chapter 616A, 616B, 616C or 617 of NRS, or any regulation adopted pursuant thereto, for which a notice of correction may not be issued pursuant to paragraph (a).

Ê The fine imposed must not be greater than $375 for an initial violation, or more than $3,000 for any second or subsequent violation.

      (c) Order a plan of corrective action to be submitted to the Administrator within 30 days after the date of the order.

      3.  If the Administrator determines that a violation of any of the provisions of paragraphs (a) to (e), inclusive, (h) or (i) of subsection 1 has occurred, the Administrator shall order the insurer, organization for managed care, health care provider, third-party administrator, employer or employee leasing company to pay to the claimant a benefit penalty:

      (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b), in an amount that is not less than $5,000 and not greater than $50,000; or

      (b) Of $3,000 if the violation involves a late payment of compensation or other relief to a claimant in an amount which is less than $500 or which is not more than 14 days late.

      4.  To determine the amount of the benefit penalty, the Administrator shall consider the degree of physical harm suffered by the injured employee or the dependents of the injured employee as a result of the violation of paragraph (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (h) or (i) of subsection 1, the amount of compensation found to be due the claimant and the number of fines and benefit penalties, other than a benefit penalty described in paragraph (b) of subsection 3, previously imposed against the insurer, organization for managed care, health care provider, third-party administrator, employer or employee leasing company pursuant to this section. The Administrator shall also consider the degree of economic harm suffered by the injured employee or the dependents of the injured employee as a result of the violation of paragraph (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (h) or (i) of subsection 1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the benefit penalty is for the benefit of the claimant and must be paid directly to the claimant within 10 days after the date of the Administrator’s determination. If the claimant is the injured employee and the claimant dies before the benefit penalty is paid to him or her, the benefit penalty must be paid to the estate of the claimant. Proof of the payment of the benefit penalty must be submitted to the Administrator within 10 days after the date of the Administrator’s determination unless an appeal is filed pursuant to NRS 616D.140. Any compensation to which the claimant may otherwise be entitled pursuant to chapters 616A to 616D, inclusive, or chapter 617 of NRS must not be reduced by the amount of any benefit penalty received pursuant to this subsection. To determine the amount of the benefit penalty in cases of multiple violations occurring within a certain period of time, the Administrator shall adopt regulations which take into consideration:

      (a) The number of violations within a certain number of years for which a benefit penalty was imposed; and

      (b) The number of claims handled by the insurer, organization for managed care, health care provider, third-party administrator, employer or employee leasing company in relation to the number of benefit penalties previously imposed within the period of time prescribed pursuant to paragraph (a).

      5.  In addition to any fine or benefit penalty imposed pursuant to this section, the Administrator may assess against an insurer who violates any regulation concerning the reporting of claims expenditures or premiums received that are used to calculate an assessment an administrative penalty of up to twice the amount of any underpaid assessment.

      6.  If:

      (a) The Administrator determines that a person has violated any of the provisions of NRS 616D.200, 616D.220, 616D.240, 616D.300, 616D.310 or 616D.350 to 616D.440, inclusive; and

      (b) The Fraud Control Unit for Industrial Insurance of the Office of the Attorney General established pursuant to NRS 228.420 notifies the Administrator that the Unit will not prosecute the person for that violation,

Ê the Administrator shall impose an administrative fine of not more than $15,000.

      7.  Two or more fines of $1,000 or more imposed in 1 year for acts enumerated in subsection 1 must be considered by the Commissioner as evidence for the withdrawal of:

      (a) A certificate to act as a self-insured employer.

      (b) A certificate to act as an association of self-insured public or private employers.

      (c) A certificate of registration as a third-party administrator.

      8.  The Commissioner may, without complying with the provisions of NRS 616B.327 or 616B.431, withdraw the certification of a self-insured employer, association of self-insured public or private employers or third-party administrator if, after a hearing, it is shown that the self-insured employer, association of self-insured public or private employers or third-party administrator violated any provision of subsection 1.

      9.  If the Administrator determines that a vocational rehabilitation counselor has violated the provisions of NRS 616C.543, the Administrator may impose an administrative fine on the vocational rehabilitation counselor of not more than $250 for a first violation, $500 for a second violation and $1,000 for a third or subsequent violation.

      10.  The Administrator may make a claim against the bond required pursuant to NRS 683A.0857 for the payment of any administrative fine or benefit penalty imposed for a violation of the provisions of this section.

      (Added to NRS by 1981, 1453; A 1985, 864; 1989, 1593; 1991, 2427; 1993, 756, 758, 1874; 1995, 531, 542, 1642, 2160; 1997, 533, 535, 3219; 1999, 1796, 3148; 2001, 2455; 2003, 1677; 2005, 1101; 2007, 3363; 2009, 1131, 3040; 2011, 120)