HELENA - The Montana State Fund Board has authorized a $2 million dividend payment to be shared by policy holders with a superior safety record.

Over 15,000 policyholders of record for the period of July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007, will be receiving dividends. Businesses will be notified in mid-December and the payments will be sent in January.

State Fund officials say this will be the 11th consecutive year the worker's compensation insurance program has returned a portion of premiums to policy holders. Since 1999, the Montana State Fund has awarded $54 million in general dividend payments to qualifying policy holders.