Hi,
WE struggled with this for a while. We've figured it out, so I'll share the love:
i) Best option -- your current homeowner/renter's insurance will provide (but state farm stopped doing this a few months back, Amica doesn't do it,; USAA does but you need military connection for insurance)
Or call your insurance agent and ask them to do it for you. If they demur, ask them to get you a policy through the assigned risk pool.
If that doesn't work
ii) Call up a couple of other insurance agents and ask them for workers comp insurance for your nanny. They will (most likely) deny you because the commission on just one of these policies is pretty small, and many insurers aren't writing these. Maybe there is a lot of fraud in the one-off policies, who knows.
iii) Call up the NCCI (National Council on Compensation Insurance) to get onto the assigned risk pool. Call 800-622-4123 and use option 7 to get someone to create a new user account. (If you don't like trusting anonymous websites, call Janette Williams, who works for the City of DC, and tell her you are having trouble getting insurance. You can reach her directly at 202.671.1533 or through the city by calling the number here
http://does.dc.gov/page/workers-compensation-does . She will refer you to the NCCI)
iv) NCCI will email you link to create a password. Do so.
v) Fill out the forms. It's long and complicated and you are asked a lot of stuff that seems not relevant. Disable popup blockers and make sure you catch the pop up questions about work classification.
You will need a "class code" for your worker. Domestic nannies are 0913
Other things that tripped me up:
i) You can file as an employer in DC. (Some states i guess the agent must do this for you)
ii) do not list your nanny on the include/exclude list, just indicate that you should be excluded. Your class code is the same as the nannies, 0913, for title you can put employer or mom or dad
iii) You will surely encounter a few more questions you don't understand. call the NCCI, the customer service agents are ridiculously competent, though seemed a little offended that I don't know the forms as well as they do.
You will pay by credit card (they quoted us $740 for a one-year policy), then print out the forms. You sign them, send them in, and then they will review them, and assign them to an insurance carrier.
They said they have a high volume right now so it will take 3-4 days to get your policy....