The commissioner or the commissioner's designee shall annually assess a levy based on actual annual workers' compensation paid losses, excluding medical payments, paid in the most recent calendar year for which data is available by employers under former Title 39, the Workers' Compensation Act or Title 39-A, Part 1, the Maine Workers' Compensation Act of 1992. Notice of assessments. The Commissioner of Labor or the commissioner's designee shall send notice of the assessments by certified mail to each licensed carrier and each group or individual self-insured employer. Payment of assessments must be received in an office of the Department of Labor designated by the commissioner before a date specified in the notice, but not more than 90 days after the date of the mailing. The department may, through the rules governing this section, assess penalties for late payment.
Assessments constitute element of loss.
The levy assessment constitutes an element of loss for the purpose of establishing rates for workers' compensation insurance. Funds derived from this levy must be deposited in the safety fund and must be appropriated by the Legislature for the operation of this program.