102.07(5)
(5) For the purpose of determining the number of employees to be counted under
s. 102.04 (1) (c), but for no other purpose, the following definitions shall apply:
102.07(5)(a)
(a) Farmers or their employees working on an exchange basis shall not be deemed employees of a farmer to whom their labor is furnished in exchange.
102.07(5)(b)
(b) The parents, spouse, child, brother, sister, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law of a farmer shall not be deemed the farmer's employees.
102.07(5)(c)
(c) A shareholder-employee of a family farm corporation shall be deemed a "farmer" for purposes of this chapter and shall not be deemed an employee of a farmer. A "family farm corporation" means a corporation engaged in farming all of whose shareholders are related as lineal ancestors or lineal descendants, whether by blood or by adoption, or as spouses, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, fathers-in-law, mothers-in-law, brothers-in-law or sisters-in-law of such lineal ancestors or lineal descendants.
102.07(5)(d)
(d) A member of a religious sect is not considered to be an employee of a farmer if the conditions specified in
s. 102.28 (3) (b) have been satisfied with respect to that member.
102.07(6)
(6) Every person selling or distributing newspapers or magazines on the street or from house to house. Such a person shall be deemed an employee of each independent news agency which is subject to this chapter, or (in the absence of such agencies) of each publisher's (or other intermediate) selling agency which is subject to this chapter, or (in the absence of all such agencies) of each publisher, whose newspapers or magazines the person sells or distributes. Such a person shall not be counted in determining whether an intermediate agency or publisher is subject to this chapter.
102.07(7)(a)(a) Every member of a volunteer fire company or fire department organized under
ch. 213, a legally organized rescue squad or a legally organized diving team is considered to be an employee of that company, department, squad or team. Every member of a company, department, squad or team described in this paragraph, while serving as an auxiliary police officer at an emergency, is also considered to be an employee of that company, department, squad or team. If a company, department, squad or team described in this paragraph has not insured its liability for compensation to its employees, the municipality or county within which that company, department, squad or team was organized shall be liable for that compensation.
102.07(7)(b)
(b) The department may issue an order under
s. 102.31 (1) (b) permitting the county within which a volunteer fire company or fire department organized under
ch. 213, a legally organized rescue squad, an ambulance service provider, as defined in
s. 146.50 (1) (c), or a legally organized diving team is organized to assume full liability for the compensation provided under this chapter of all volunteer members of that company, department, squad, provider or team.
102.07(8)(a)(a) Except as provided in
par. (b), every independent contractor is, for the purpose of this chapter, an employee of any employer under this chapter for whom he or she is performing service in the course of the trade, business, profession or occupation of such employer at the time of the injury.
102.07(8)(b)
(b) An independent contractor is not an employee of an employer for whom the independent contractor performs work or services if the independent contractor meets all of the following conditions:
102.07(8)(b)1.
1. Maintains a separate business with his or her own office, equipment, materials and other facilities.
102.07(8)(b)2.
2. Holds or has applied for a federal employer identification number with the federal internal revenue service or has filed business or self-employment income tax returns with the federal internal revenue service based on that work or service in the previous year.
102.07(8)(b)3.
3. Operates under contracts to perform specific services or work for specific amounts of money and under which the independent contractor controls the means of performing the services or work.
102.07(8)(b)4.
4. Incurs the main expenses related to the service or work that he or she performs under contract.
102.07(8)(b)5.
5. Is responsible for the satisfactory completion of work or services that he or she contracts to perform and is liable for a failure to complete the work or service.
102.07(8)(b)6.
6. Receives compensation for work or service performed under a contract on a commission or per job or competitive bid basis and not on any other basis.
102.07(8)(b)7.
7. May realize a profit or suffer a loss under contracts to perform work or service.
102.07(8)(b)8.
8. Has continuing or recurring business liabilities or obligations.
102.07(8)(b)9.
9. The success or failure of the independent contractor's business depends on the relationship of business receipts to expenditures.
102.07(8)(c)
(c) The department may not admit in evidence state or federal laws, regulations, documents granting operating authority or licenses when determining whether an independent contractor meets the conditions specified in
par. (b) 1. or
3.
102.07(8m)
(8m) An employer who is subject to this chapter is not an employee of another employer for whom the first employer performs work or service in the course of the other employer's trade, business, profession or occupation.
102.07(9)
(9) Members of the national guard and state defense force, when on state active duty under direction of appropriate authority, but only in case federal laws, rules or regulations provide no benefits substantially equivalent to those provided in this chapter.
102.07(10)
(10) Further to effectuate the policy of the state that the benefits of this chapter shall extend and be granted to employees in the service of the state, or of any municipality therein on the same basis, in the same manner, under the same conditions, and with like right of recovery as in the case of employees of persons, firms or private corporations, any question whether any person is an employee under this chapter shall be governed by and determined under the same standards, considerations, and rules of decision in all cases under
subs. (1) to
(9). Any statutes, ordinances, or administrative regulations which may be otherwise applicable to the classes of employees enumerated in
sub. (1) shall not be controlling in deciding whether any person is an employee for the purposes of this chapter.
102.07(11)
(11) The department may by rule prescribe classes of volunteer workers who may, at the election of the person for whom the service is being performed, be deemed to be employees for the purposes of this chapter. Election shall be by endorsement upon the worker's compensation insurance policy with written notice to the department. In the case of an employer exempt from insuring liability, election shall be by written notice to the department. The department shall by rule prescribe the means and manner in which notice of election by the employer is to be provided to the volunteer workers.
102.07(11m)
(11m) Subject to
sub. (11), a volunteer for a nonprofit organization described in section
501 (c) of the internal revenue code, as defined in
s. 71.01 (6), that is exempt or eligible for exemption from federal income taxation under section
501 (a) of the internal revenue code who receives from that nonprofit organization nominal payments of money or other things of value totaling not more than $10 per week is not considered to be an employee of that nonprofit organization for purposes of this chapter.
102.07(12)
(12) A student in a technical college district while, as a part of a training program, he or she is engaged in performing services for which a school organized under
ch. 38 collects a fee or is engaged in producing a product sold by such a school is an employee of that school.
102.07(12m)
(12m) A student of a public school, as described in
s. 115.01 (1), or a private school, as defined in
s. 115.001 (3r), while he or she is engaged in performing services as part of a school work training, work experience or work study program, and who is not on the payroll of an employer that is providing the work training or work experience or who is not otherwise receiving compensation on which a worker's compensation carrier could assess premiums on that employer, is an employee of a school district or private school that elects under
s. 102.077 to name the student as its employee. This subsection does not apply after December 31, 2001.
102.07(13)
(13) A juvenile performing uncompensated community service work as a result of a deferred prosecution agreement under
s. 938.245, a consent decree under
s. 938.32 or an order under
s. 938.34 is an employee of the county in which the court ordering the community service work is located. No compensation may be paid to that employee for temporary disability during the healing period.
102.07(14)
(14) An adult performing uncompensated community service work under
s. 304.062,
943.017 (3),
971.38,
973.03 (3),
973.05 (3),
973.09 or
973.10 (1m) is an employee of the county in which the district attorney requiring or the court ordering the community service work is located or in which the place of assignment under
s. 304.062 or
973.10 (1m) is located. No compensation may be paid to that employee for temporary disability during the healing period.
102.07(15)
(15) A sole proprietor or partner or member electing under
s. 102.075 is an employee.
102.07(16)
(16) An inmate participating in a work release program under
s. 303.065 (2) or in the transitional employment program is an employee of any employer under this chapter for whom he or she is performing service at the time of the injury.
102.07(17)
(17) A prisoner of a county jail who is assigned to a work camp under
s. 303.10 is not an employee of the county or counties providing the work camp while the prisoner is working under
s. 303.10 (3).
102.07(17g)
(17g) A state employee who is on a leave of absence granted under
s. 230.35 (3) (e) to provide services to the American Red Cross in a particular disaster is not an employee of the state for the purposes of this chapter during the period in which he or she is on the leave of absence, unless one of the following occurs:
102.07(17g)(a)
(a) The American Red Cross specifies in its written request under
s. 230.35 (3) (e) 2. c. that a unit of government in this state is requesting the assistance of the American Red Cross in the particular disaster and the state employee during the leave of absence provides services related to assisting the unit of government.
102.07(17g)(b)
(b) The American Red Cross specifies in its written request under
s. 230.35 (3) (e) 2. c. that it has been requested to provide assistance outside of this state in a particular disaster and there exists between the state of Wisconsin and the state in which the services are to be provided a mutual aid agreement, entered into by the governor, which specifies that the state of Wisconsin and the other state may assist each other in the event of a disaster and which contains provisions addressing worker's compensation coverage for the employees of the other state who provide services in Wisconsin.
102.07(17m)
(17m) A participant in a trial job under
s. 49.147 (3) is an employee of any employer under this chapter for whom the participant is performing service at the time of the injury.
102.07(18)
(18) A participant in a community service job under
s. 49.147 (4) or a transitional placement under
s. 49.147 (5) is an employee of the Wisconsin works agency, as defined under
s. 49.001 (9), for the purposes of this chapter, except to the extent that the person for whom the participant is performing work provides worker's compensation coverage.
102.07 History
History: 1975 c. 147 s.
54;
1975 c. 224;
1977 c. 29;
1979 c. 278;
1981 c. 325;
1983 a. 27,
98;
1985 a. 29,
83,
135;
1985 a. 150 s.
4;
1985 a. 176,
332;
1987 a. 63;
1989 a. 31,
64,
359;
1993 a. 16,
81,
112,
399;
1995 a. 24,
77,
96,
117,
225,
281,
289,
417;
1997 a. 35,
38,
118;
1999 a. 14,
162.
102.07 Annotation
A truck owner who fell and sustained injuries in a company's truck parking area while in the process of repairing his truck was properly found under sub. (8) to be a statutory employee of the company at the time of his injury although he was an independent contractor who worked exclusively for the trucking company under a lease agreement,. Employers Mutual Liability Insurance Co. v. DILHR,
52 Wis. 2d 515,
190 N.W.2d 907.
102.07 Annotation
There was no employment when a member of an organization borrowed a refrigerated truck from a packing company for use at a picnic and was injured when returning it. Kress Packing Co. v. Kottwitz,
61 Wis. 2d 175,
212 N.W.2d 97.
102.07 Annotation
Nothing in this chapter precludes an employer from agreeing with employees to continue salaries for injured workers in excess of worker's compensation benefits. Excess payments are not worker's compensation and may be conditioned on the parties' agreement. City of Milwaukee v. DILHR,
193 Wis. 2d 626,
534 N.W.2d 903 (Ct. App. 1995).
102.07 Annotation
Sub. (8) (b) supplants the common law and provides the sole test for determining whether a worker is an independent contractor for purposes of ch. 102. Jarrett v. LIRC, 2000 WI App 46,
233 Wis. 2d 174,
607 N.W.2d 326.
102.07 Annotation
Members of state boards, committees, commissions or councils, who are compensated by per diem or by actual and necessary expense are covered employees. 58 Atty. Gen. 10.
102.075
102.075
Election by sole proprietor, partner or member. 102.075(1)(1) Any sole proprietor, partner or member of a limited liability company engaged in a vocation, profession or business on a substantially full-time basis may elect to be an employee under this chapter by procuring insurance against injury sustained in the pursuit of that vocation, profession or business. This coverage may be obtained by endorsement on an existing policy of worker's compensation insurance or by issuance of a separate policy to the sole proprietor, partner or member on the same basis as any other policy of worker's compensation insurance.
102.075(2)
(2) For the purpose of any insurance policy other than a worker's compensation insurance policy, no sole proprietor, partner or member may be considered eligible for worker's compensation benefits unless he or she elected to be an employee under this section.
102.075(3)
(3) Any sole proprietor, partner or member who elected to be an employee under this section may withdraw that election upon 30 days' prior written notice to the insurance carrier and the Wisconsin compensation rating bureau.
102.075 History
History: 1983 a. 98;
1993 a. 112.
102.076
102.076
Election by corporate officer. 102.076(1)
(1) Not more than 2 officers of a corporation having not more than 10 stockholders may elect not to be subject to this chapter. If the corporation has been issued a policy of worker's compensation insurance, an officer of the corporation may elect not to be subject to this chapter and not to be covered under the policy at any time during the period of the policy. Except as provided in
sub. (2), the election shall be made by an endorsement, on the policy of worker's compensation insurance issued to that corporation, naming each officer who has so elected. The election is effective for the period of the policy and may not be reversed during the period of the policy. An officer who so elects is an employee for the purpose of determining whether the corporation is an employer under
s. 102.04 (1) (b).
102.076(2)
(2) If a corporation has not more than 10 stockholders, not more than 2 officers and no other employees and is not otherwise required under this chapter to have a policy of worker's compensation insurance, an officer of that corporation who elects not to be subject to this chapter shall file a notice of that election with the department on a form approved by the department. The election is effective until the officer rescinds it by notifying the department in writing.
102.077
102.077
Election by school district or private school. 102.077(1)(1) A school district or a private school, as defined in
s. 115.001 (3r), may elect to name as its employee for purposes of this chapter a student described in
s. 102.07 (12m) by an endorsement on its policy of worker's compensation insurance or, if the school district or private school is exempt from the duty to insure under
s. 102.28 (2), by filing a declaration with the department in the manner provided in
s. 102.31 (2) (a) naming the student as an employee of the school district or private school for purposes of this chapter. A declaration under this subsection shall list the name of the student to be covered under this chapter, the name and address of the employer that is providing the work training or work experience for that student and the title, if any, of the work training, work experience or work study program in which the student is participating.
102.077(2)
(2) A school district or private school may revoke a declaration under
sub. (1) by providing written notice to the department in the manner provided in
s. 102.31 (2) (a), the student and the employer who is providing the work training or work experience for that student. A revocation under this subsection is effective 30 days after the department receives notice of that revocation.
102.077(3)
(3) This section does not apply after December 31, 2001.
102.08
102.08
Administration for state employees. The department of administration has responsibility for the timely delivery of benefits payable under this chapter to employees of the state and their dependents and other functions of the state as an employer under this chapter. The department of administration may delegate this authority to employing departments and agencies and require such reports as it deems necessary to accomplish this purpose. The department of administration or its delegated authorities shall file with the department of workforce development the reports that are required of all employers. The department of workforce development shall monitor the delivery of benefits to state employees and their dependents and shall consult with and advise the department of administration in the manner and at the times necessary to ensure prompt and proper delivery.
102.11
102.11
Earnings, method of computation. 102.11(1)
(1) The average weekly earnings for temporary disability, permanent total disability or death benefits for injury in each calendar year on or after January 1, 1982, shall be not less than $30 nor more than the wage rate which results in a maximum compensation rate of 100% of the state's average weekly earnings as determined under
s. 108.05 as of June 30 of the previous year, except that the average weekly earnings for temporary disability, permanent total disability or death benefits for injuries occurring on or after January 1, 1998, and before January 1, 1999, shall be not more than $784.50, resulting in a maximum compensation rate of $523, and the average weekly earnings for temporary disability, permanent total disability or death benefits for injuries occurring on or after January 1, 1999, and before January 1, 2000, shall be not more than $807, resulting in a maximum compensation rate of $538. The average weekly earnings for permanent partial disability shall be not less than $30 and, for permanent partial disability for injuries occurring on or after January 1, 1998, and before January 1, 1999, not more than $268.50, resulting in a maximum compensation rate of $179, and, for permanent partial disability for injuries occurring on or after January 1, 1999, not more than $276, resulting in a maximum compensation rate of $184. Between such limits the average weekly earnings shall be determined as follows:
102.11(1)(a)
(a) Daily earnings shall mean the daily earnings of the employee at the time of the injury in the employment in which the employee was then engaged. In determining daily earnings under this paragraph, overtime shall not be considered. If at the time of the injury the employee is working on part time for the day, the employee's daily earnings shall be arrived at by dividing the amount received, or to be received by the employee for such part-time service for the day, by the number of hours and fractional hours of such part-time service, and multiplying the result by the number of hours of the normal full-time working day for the employment involved. The words "part time for the day" shall apply to Saturday half days and all other days upon which the employee works less than normal full-time working hours. The average weekly earnings shall be arrived at by multiplying the daily earnings by the number of days and fractional days normally worked per week at the time of the injury in the business operation of the employer for the particular employment in which the employee was engaged at the time of the employee's injury.
102.11(1)(b)
(b) In case of seasonal employment, average weekly earnings shall be arrived at by the method prescribed in
par. (a), except that the number of hours of the normal full-time working day and the number of days of the normal full-time working week shall be such hours and such days in similar service in the same or similar nonseasonal employment. Seasonal employment shall mean employment which can be conducted only during certain times of the year, and in no event shall employment be considered seasonal if it extends during a period of more than fourteen weeks within a calendar year.
102.11(1)(c)
(c) In the case of persons performing service without fixed earnings, or where normal full-time days or weeks are not maintained by the employer in the employment in which the employee worked when injured, or where, for other reason, earnings cannot be determined under the methods prescribed by
par. (a) or
(b), the earnings of the injured person shall, for the purpose of calculating compensation payable under this chapter, be taken to be the usual going earnings paid for similar services on a normal full-time basis in the same or similar employment in which earnings can be determined under the methods set out in
par. (a) or
(b).
102.11(1)(d)
(d) Except in situations where
par. (b) applies, average weekly earnings shall in no case be less than actual average weekly earnings of the employee for the 52 calendar weeks before his or her injury within which the employee has been employed in the business, in the kind of employment and for the employer for whom the employee worked when injured. Calendar weeks within which no work was performed shall not be considered under this paragraph. This paragraph applies only if the employee has worked within a total of at least 6 calendar weeks during the 52 calendar weeks before his or her injury in the business, in the kind of employment and for the employer for whom the employee worked when injured. For purposes of this section, earnings for part-time services performed for a labor organization pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement between the employer and that labor organization shall be considered as part of the total earnings in the preceding 52 calendar weeks, whether payment is made by the labor organization or the employer.
102.11(1)(e)
(e) Where any things of value are received in addition to monetary earnings as a part of the wage contract, they shall be deemed a part of earnings and computed at the value thereof to the employee.
102.11(1)(f)1.1. Except as provided in
subd. 2., average weekly earnings may not be less than 24 times the normal hourly earnings at the time of injury.
102.11(1)(f)2.
2. The weekly temporary disability benefits for a part-time employee who restricts his or her availability in the labor market to part-time work and is not employed elsewhere may not exceed the average weekly wages of the part-time employment.
102.11(1)(g)
(g) If an employee is under 27 years of age, the employee's average weekly earnings on which to compute the benefits accruing for permanent disability or death shall be determined on the basis of the earnings that the employee, if not disabled, probably would earn after attaining the age of 27 years. Unless otherwise established, the projected earnings determined under this paragraph shall be taken as equivalent to the amount upon which maximum weekly indemnity is payable.
102.11(2)
(2) The average annual earnings when referred to in this chapter shall consist of 50 times the employee's average weekly earnings. Subject to the maximum limitation, average annual earnings shall in no case be taken at less than the actual earnings of the employee in the year immediately preceding the employee's injury in the kind of employment in which the employee worked at the time of injury.
102.11(3)
(3) The weekly wage loss referred to in this chapter, except under
s. 102.60 (6), shall be such percentage of the average weekly earnings of the injured employee computed according to the provisions of this section, as shall fairly represent the proportionate extent of the impairment of the employee's earning capacity in the employment in which the employee was working at the time of the injury, and other suitable employments, the same to be fixed as of the time of the injury, but to be determined in view of the nature and extent of the injury.
102.12
102.12
Notice of injury, exception, laches. No claim for compensation may be maintained unless, within 30 days after the occurrence of the injury or within 30 days after the employee knew or ought to have known the nature of his or her disability and its relation to the employment, actual notice was received by the employer or by an officer, manager or designated representative of an employer. If no representative has been designated by posters placed in one or more conspicuous places, then notice received by any superior is sufficient. Absence of notice does not bar recovery if it is found that the employer was not misled thereby. Regardless of whether notice was received, if no payment of compensation, other than medical treatment or burial expense, is made, and no application is filed with the department within 2 years from the date of the injury or death, or from the date the employee or his or her dependent knew or ought to have known the nature of the disability and its relation to the employment, the right to compensation therefor is barred, except that the right to compensation is not barred if the employer knew or should have known, within the 2-year period, that the employee had sustained the injury on which the claim is based. Issuance of notice of a hearing on the department's own motion has the same effect for the purposes of this section as the filing of an application. This section does not affect any claim barred under
s. 102.17 (4).
102.12 History
History: 1983 a. 98.
102.125
102.125
Fraudulent claims reporting and investigation. 102.125(1)(1) If an insurer or self-insured employer has evidence that a claim is false or fraudulent in violation of
s. 943.395 and if the insurer or self-insured employer is satisfied that reporting the claim to the department will not impede its ability to defend the claim, the insurer or self-insured employer shall report the claim to the department. The department may require an insurer or self-insured employer to investigate an allegedly false or fraudulent claim and may provide the insurer or self-insured employer with any records of the department relating to that claim. An insurer or self-insured employer that investigates a claim under this subsection shall report on the results of that investigation to the department. If based on the investigation the department has a reasonable basis to believe that a violation of
s. 943.395 has occurred, the department shall refer the results of the investigation to the district attorney of the county in which the alleged violation occurred for prosecution.
102.125(2)
(2) Annually, the department shall submit a report to the appropriate standing committees under
s. 13.172 (3) and the governor detailing, for the previous year, the number of reports under
sub. (1) that the department received, the number of referrals for prosecution that the department made and the results of those referrals.
102.125 History
History: 1993 a. 81.
102.13
102.13
Examination; competent witnesses; exclusion of evidence; autopsy. 102.13(1)(a)(a) Except as provided in
sub. (4), whenever compensation is claimed by an employee, the employee shall, upon the written request of the employee's employer or worker's compensation insurer, submit to reasonable examinations by physicians, chiropractors, psychologists, dentists or podiatrists provided and paid for by the employer or insurer. No employee who submits to an examination under this paragraph is a patient of the examining physician, chiropractor, psychologist, dentist or podiatrist for any purpose other than for the purpose of bringing an action under
ch. 655, unless the employee specifically requests treatment from that physician, chiropractor, psychologist, dentist or podiatrist.
102.13(1)(am)
(am) When compensation is claimed for loss of earning capacity under
s. 102.44 (2) or
(3), the employee shall, on the written request of the employee's employer or insurer, submit to reasonable examinations by vocational experts provided and paid for by the employer or insurer.
102.13(1)(b)
(b) An employer or insurer who requests that an employee submit to reasonable examination under
par. (a) or
(am) shall tender to the employee, before the examination, all necessary expenses including transportation expenses. The employee is entitled to have a physician, chiropractor, psychologist, dentist or podiatrist provided by himself or herself present at the examination and to receive a copy of all reports of the examination that are prepared by the examining physician, chiropractor, psychologist, podiatrist, dentist or vocational expert immediately upon receipt of those reports by the employer or worker's compensation insurer. The employee is also entitled to have a translator provided by himself or herself present at the examination if the employee has difficulty speaking or understanding the English language. The employer's or insurer's written request for examination shall notify the employee of all of the following:
102.13(1)(b)1.
1. The proposed date, time and place of the examination and the identity and area of specialization of the examining physician, chiropractor, psychologist, dentist, podiatrist or vocational expert.
102.13(1)(b)2.
2. The procedure for changing the proposed date, time and place of the examination.
102.13(1)(b)3.
3. The employee's right to have his or her physician, chiropractor, psychologist, dentist or podiatrist present at the examination.
