WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE AND RESERVES

We provide workers’ compensation insurance for our temporary and permanent employees. The majority of our current workers’ compensation insurance policies cover claims for a particular event above a $2.0 million deductible limit, on a “per occurrence” basis. This results in our being substantially self-insured.

For workers’ compensation claims originating in Washington, North Dakota, Ohio, Wyoming, Canada, and Puerto Rico (our “monopolistic jurisdictions”), we pay workers’ compensation insurance premiums and obtain full coverage under government-administered programs (with the exception of our Labor Ready service line in the state of Ohio where we have a self-insured policy). Accordingly, because we are not the primary obligor, our financial statements do not reflect the liability for workers’ compensation claims in these monopolistic jurisdictions. Our workers’ compensation reserve is established using estimates of the future cost of claims and related expenses that have been reported but not settled, as well as those that have been incurred but not reported.

Our workers’ compensation reserve for claims below the deductible limit is discounted to its estimated net present value using discount rates based on average returns of “risk-free” U.S. Treasury instruments available during the year in which the liability was incurred. The weighted average discount rate was 1.6% and 1.7% at September 25, 2015 and December 26, 2014, respectively. Payments made against self-insured claims are made over a weighted average period of approximately 4.5 years at September 25, 2015.

The table below presents a reconciliation of the undiscounted workers’ compensation claims reserve to the discounted workers' compensation reserve for the periods presented as follows (in thousands):



	September 25, 2015		December 26, 2014
Undiscounted workers’ compensation reserve	$	267,251	$	256,220
Less discount on workers' compensation reserve	14,388		13,381
Workers' compensation reserve, net of discount	252,863		242,839
Less current portion	63,885		64,556
Long-term portion	$	188,978	$	178,283

Payments made against self-insured claims were $51.8 million and $44.8 million for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 25, 2015 and September 26, 2014, respectively.

Our workers’ compensation reserve includes estimated expenses related to claims above our self-insured limits (“excess claims”), and we record a corresponding receivable for the insurance coverage on excess claims based on the contractual policy agreements we have with insurance carriers. We discount this reserve and corresponding receivable to its estimated net present value using the discount rates based on average returns of “risk-free” U.S. Treasury instruments available during the year in which the liability was incurred. The claim payments are made and the corresponding reimbursements from our insurance carriers are received over an estimated weighted average period of approximately 15 years. The discounted workers’ compensation reserve for excess claims was $46.7 million and $42.6 million as of September 25, 2015 and December 26, 2014, respectively. The discounted receivables from insurance companies, net of valuation allowance, were $42.8 million and $38.7 million as of September 25, 2015 and December 26, 2014, respectively, and are included in Other assets, net on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Management evaluates the adequacy of the workers’ compensation reserves in conjunction with an independent quarterly actuarial assessment. Factors considered in establishing and adjusting these reserves include, among other things:


•	changes in medical and time loss (“indemnity”) costs;


•	changes in mix between medical only and indemnity claims;


•	regulatory and legislative developments impacting benefits and settlement requirements;


•	type and location of work performed;


•	impact of safety initiatives; and


•	positive or adverse development of claims.

Workers’ compensation expense consists primarily of changes in self-insurance reserves net of changes in discount, monopolistic jurisdictions’ premiums, insurance premiums, and other miscellaneous expenses. Workers’ compensation expense of $24.7 million and $21.6 million was recorded in Cost of services for the thirteen weeks ended September 25, 2015 and September 26, 2014, respectively. Workers’ compensation expense of $69.1 million and $55.1 million was recorded in Cost of services for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 25, 2015 and September 26, 2014, respectively.