Washington Employers Invited to Join Workers’ Comp Pilot

The Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has begun enrolling employers who want to participate in a new way of reporting claims for workplace injuries and occupational diseases.

Injured workers in Washington currently file all injury and disease claims through their physician. Beginning Jan. 1, 2007, workers at companies selected for L&I’s Employer Reporting Project also will have the option of filing a workers’ compensation claim through their employer. The pilot project is designed to determine if employer-filed claims result in less disability and better outcomes without diminishing workers’ satisfaction with the treatment they received from the workers’ compensation system.

The law establishing the project limits the participants to 500 employers, so those interested should sign up immediately at www.EmployerReporting.LNI.wa.gov. Information employers provide will be used only for this project.

Employers without web access can get information from Shirley Morris, 360-902-6201.