Not by default — and this is where a lot of small employers get into trouble. True independent contractors carry their own workers’ comp (or are exempt as sole proprietors). However, all three jurisdictions in our service area apply a multi-factor “right-to-control” test that can re-classify 1099 contractors as employees for workers’ comp purposes, regardless of how the parties labeled the relationship. In Virginia, a contractor without their own workers’ comp coverage may be deemed your statutory employee. In Maryland, similar economic-reality tests apply. The safest approach is to either require certificates of insurance verifying the contractor’s own coverage or add them to your policy under “if any” exposure language.