What Is 8 CCR §9881: Posting Notice and MPN Information?

(a) Every employer shall post and keep posted in a conspicuous location frequented by employees during the hours of the workday a Notice to Employees. (b) The Notice to Employees poster shall be easily understandable. It shall be posted in both English and Spanish where there are Spanish-speaking employees.

What does 8 CCR 9881 require?

This regulation spells out, item by item, what the workers' comp posting at your job has to cover.

Labor Code 3550 is the law that creates the posting duty itself. Title 8, section 9881 is the Division of Workers' Compensation rule that fills in the detail. It lists thirteen pieces of information the posted notice must include, from the insurer's name to emergency phone numbers to benefit rights. The Labor Code 3550 posting requirements page already covers that full list in plain language. Two parts of section 9881 deserve their own explanation, because no other page on this site covers them in depth: what the notice must say about your Medical Provider Network, and the rule that the notice must be in Spanish.

What must the notice say about your Medical Provider Network?

If your employer uses an MPN, the posted notice must explain it and give you a way to reach it.

Subsection (c)(13) requires the posting to describe the employer's Medical Provider Network if one is used. The notice must say what an MPN is, mention the predesignation exemption, and say when you must start treating with an MPN doctor. It must explain how to ask for more information about the network. It must list the MPN's contact phone number and address, and its website if the network has one. It must also give the effective date of the MPN's coverage. Labor Code 4616 is the law that lets an insurer set up an MPN in the first place, and predesignating your own doctor is one way to opt out ahead of time. See a full explanation of how an MPN works.

Does the posted notice have to be in Spanish?

Yes, when Spanish-speaking employees work there, both the statute and the regulation say so directly.

Subsection (b) of this regulation requires the poster to be easily understandable and to appear in both English and Spanish where there are Spanish-speaking employees. Labor Code 3550 states the same rule. Neither law makes an exception for a small crew or a short-term job site. The requirement does not depend on a worker's immigration status, since the underlying posting duty protects every employee.

What should you do if the posted notice is missing the MPN information or is not in Spanish?

Note what you saw, then ask the claims administrator in writing to confirm the MPN details and fix the posting.

Take a photo of the posting area if it is safe and allowed. Write down the date you looked and what, if anything, was posted. A posting gap does not by itself prove there is no valid MPN, and it does not replace medical proof of a work injury, but it is useful if you are disputing whether you were ever properly told about the network, the predesignation exemption, or how to reach it. Ask the claims administrator to send the MPN contact information and the network's effective date in writing.

When did the MPN posting requirement start?

The MPN item was added to this regulation in 2010, and it has not changed since.

The Division of Workers' Compensation amended section 9881 to add the MPN description requirement, subsection (c)(13), effective October 8, 2010. The general posting duty itself is older. If your injury happened before an employer used an MPN at all, this specific requirement would not have applied yet, but it applies to a current posting today.

What should an injured worker do next?

Check the posting, keep notes, and ask in writing if something required is missing.

Look at your workplace posting and compare it against what this regulation requires. If your employer uses an MPN but the posting does not explain it, or the posting is not in Spanish where it should be, write down what you saw and ask your claims administrator to correct it. See the full Labor Code 3550 posting checklist for everything else the notice must include.

Yazdchi Law P.C. represents injured workers across California from its one office in Palmdale. The firm reviews each matter individually and does not take every case. Call (661) 273-1780 or use the contact form to ask about a claim.