Insurance Department
Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak has released the following statement in regard to the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s decision to deny the application to assume original jurisdiction in the recent case challenging the constitutionality of the Oklahoma Option.
“The Oklahoma Supreme Court has decided against becoming embroiled in the latest attack on our state’s innovative workers’ compensation system. Attorney General Scott Pruitt has done a fantastic job representing our office in this case. I appreciate the challenging and continuing effort of our Legislature to advance Oklahoma as a desirable location for employers to create jobs. My department has worked to ensure that we are following both the letter and the spirit of the law so that the benefits provided by employers to protect their employees are exactly what our Legislature and Governor developed. We will continue to implement the law as tasked and appreciate the importance of our role in ensuring that Oklahoma’s employees are provided with the best workers’ compensation protections in the nation,” Doak said.
The new workers’ compensation law allows some employers to comply with Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation requirements by operating their own written benefit plans. Under the law, the Insurance Commissioner may qualify employers to provide benefit plans that provide statutorily mandated benefits following a thorough application and review process.
