Final answer:
Workers' compensation in the United States is regulated primarily by individual states. Each state enforces its own laws relating to workers' compensation, requiring employers to pay into funds that aid injured or ill workers. The correct option is C.
Step-by-step explanation:
Workers' compensation is a system designed to provide financial and medical benefits to employees who are injured or become ill due to their job. In the United States, workers' compensation is regulated primarily at the state level. This means that although these regulations can vary significantly from one state to another, it is the individual states themselves that are responsible for administering and enforcing their own workers' compensation laws.
Labor movements and reformers in the early 20th century had pushed for such regulations to improve workplace safety and ensure compensation for injured workers, influencing the establishment of workers' compensation laws. These laws were meant to reduce workplace accidents, encourage employer accountability, and prevent labor strikes by providing a safer work environment and a financial safety net for workers.
Under workers' compensation insurance programs, employers contribute a small percentage of their payroll into state-run funds. These funds are then used to provide benefits to workers who suffer job-related injuries or illnesses. This system is distinct from other forms of insurance, such as pension insurance or deposit insurance, which serve different purposes and are regulated by different entities, such as the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, respectively.