Casual Volunteers

Casual Volunteers

In addition to employees, Montana law requires employers to cover their elected officials, volunteer emergency service workers (firefighters, police, ambulance workers) and court appointed workers. A member may also elect to cover their other volunteers.

MMIA Members’ other volunteers fall into three categories:

(1). The consistent volunteer is an individual who volunteers more than 15 hours per month.

(2) The regular volunteer is an individual who volunteers between one and fifteen hours per month.

(3) The casual volunteer is an individual who volunteers for a special activity, for example, an annual event sponsored by the city.

The MMIA recommends a city elect coverage on all volunteers and not just a select group or groups. The coverage is inexpensive and provides the city with exclusive remedy should a volunteer sustain an injury or develop a disease while serving in their capacity as a city volunteer. Without workers’ compensation coverage, a volunteer’s remedy would be to file a liability claim which generally costs more due to damages beyond wage loss and medical.

Consistent Volunteer
The consistent volunteer is an individual who volunteers more than 15 hours per month and the assumed payroll is $100 per month.

Regular Volunteer
The regular volunteer is an individual who volunteers between one and fifteen hours per month and the assumed payroll is $50 per month.

Casual volunteers.
These are the special event volunteers, and the assessment is a flat fee based on the number of volunteers (see chart below). You can access the application to request workers’ compensation coverage for these events by clicking  Casual Volunteer Workers Compensation Coverage Application The MMIA will review requests/applications and approve, deny and/or request additional information. Once approval is granted, the Member must submit a roster of volunteer names and the last four numbers of their social security number or date of birth within two days of the event. Once MMIA receives the roster, an invoice to the member will be generated. Worker’s compensation coverage for the event will be bound with the MMIA upon receipt of both the roster and payment of the assessment invoiced.

Assessment rates are a flat fee as follows

Number of Casual Volunteers Standard Assessment
1 – 25 Volunteers $91
29 – 100 Volunteers $161
101 – 199 Volunteers $186
200 – 299 Volunteers $238
For each 100 volunteers above 299 add $64

If you have question or concerns regarding the reporting instructions or use of forms, please call the MMIA at 1-800-635-3089 and enter the extension for either Ann Komac, Claims Manager (ext. 121) or Kayla Forgey, Accounting Associate (ext. 140).