Montana State Fund
Carrier website links, underwriting access points, mapped product lines, and appetite notes in one place.
This appetite summary is only a guide. Confirm eligibility, submission requirements, restrictions, and binding authority directly with the carrier or underwriter before relying on it.
Carrier appetite summary
Montana State Fund (MSF) is a Montana-focused workers’ compensation carrier and states that any employer with employees hired to work in Montana may apply for coverage. Operationally, this reads as broad availability for Montana employers rather than a narrow class-based appetite guide. Coverage is centered on Montana exposures: Montana residents whose duties are primarily performed in Montana, or controlled from Montana, are covered including when temporarily out of state; non-residents are covered when their principal duties are regularly performed in Montana, and construction employers working in Montana must provide Montana coverage for both resident and non-resident employees. If employees work outside Montana, the insured may also need separate coverage in the other state. MSF also offers Other States Coverage when the insured already has Montana operations insured with MSF, has a physical Montana location, and reports/payrolls employees in Montana. Preferred business therefore appears to be Montana-based employers with in-state payroll and operations, including those needing an agent-supported or direct policy issuance process. Submission guidance is practical and clear: insureds can apply through an agent or direct/self-service; a separate application is required for each legal entity, though combinable common-ownership entities may be considered on request; the earliest effective date is the day after a complete application is received; outstanding obligations on prior MSF policies must be resolved and can affect effective date. Application materials include the Application for Coverage, instructions, and ERM 14 for purchased businesses or multiple-business situations; submissions can be sent by email, fax, or mail as listed by MSF. Agent submissions are contemplated explicitly, and the agent may be the authorized signatory when submitting. Broker/producer notes: agents have a dedicated portal, agent-locator support, workshops/newsletters, and book-of-business registration inquiries go through MSF’s marketing team. Restricted/approval-sensitive items are mostly statutory or eligibility based rather than traditional appetite declinations: exempt employments may elect coverage subject to MSF approval; volunteer worker coverage is only available to government, not-for-profit, or non-profit entities; use of independent contractors requires an ICEC or proof of workers’ compensation insurance or the hiring employer may be charged premium/claims exposure; tribal entities with at least 51% ownership by an enrolled tribal member operating solely within reservation boundaries are not required to carry coverage, but if they elect MSF coverage it applies to all employees on and/or off reservation. MSF follows Montana’s NCCI classification system and published rate/class-code materials rather than an online class appetite list, so no official class-specific preferred/prohibited schedule was verified from the carrier pages reviewed.