Colorado’s state-affiliated workers’ compensation insurance provider — Pinnacol Assurance — is currently standing at a crossroads. For over a century, the company has proudly served Colorado’s workers and employers, adapted to changing times and ensured their protection and peace of mind – including for jobs and industries that weren\u2019t even contemplated when Pinnacol was created in 1915.<\/p>\n
About 20 years ago, the legislature significantly modernized Pinnacol, which was crucial for meeting the needs of workers and our customers in a competitive workers\u2019 compensation market. And it worked. Today, operating as a mutual insurance company owned by its members, we boast the highest satisfaction scores in our history — from both workers and employers. But the landscape of work has shifted dramatically, and the laws governing Pinnacol haven\u2019t kept pace. Smartphones and accessible wireless internet could not have even been contemplated during Pinnacol’s establishment.<\/p>\n
Changes in technology and most profoundly the lasting impact of the pandemic on remote and multistate hiring has meant Pinnacol cannot seamlessly serve multistate employers due to current legislation. Colorado maintains the second-highest remote workforce in the nation, and for the first time in history, most Colorado employers have employees working in multiple states, this shift has both market and public policy implications. While Pinnacol was
\ncreated to be accessible to Colorado’s workers and employers, most do not have access to Pinnacol today. This isn’t a theoretical problem; it’s a reality impacting our ability to fulfill our mission.<\/p>\n