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Oct 05 2023
WashingtonWorkers’ Comp

Claims ‘Monitoring’ vs. ‘Management’: Which is best for your company?

As an employer, navigating complex claims on your own can be exceedingly overwhelming and time-consuming, which is why the prospect of having a partner to “manage your claims” can come as quite a relief. However, it begs the question: what does “claims management” truly entail? And if your partner is more of the “claims monitoring”…

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Aug 18 2023
WashingtonWorkers’ Comp

Top 3 complaints from Retro groups participants

When it comes to manufacturing Retro groups in Washington, employers have several to consider. They differ, often significantly, in terms of their service offerings and what they require of their members. While we typically focus on the positive aspects and numerous benefits of these programs, it’s important to acknowledge common concerns expressed by Retro participants…

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Aug 10 2023
Safety and HealthTermination & ResignationWashington

Q&A: Light duty may not stop time loss exposure

Question: We had to terminate an employee who was working in a light duty position following his on-the-job injury. The Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) awarded him time loss benefits, but we don’t understand why. Since he was working a light duty position when his job ended, shouldn’t that stop time loss exposure?…

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Jul 11 2023
WashingtonWorkers’ Comp

Learning from past workers’ comp claims – why it’s so important

We all know about claims from the past that linger, causing costs to rise for years. It’s easy to get in the habit of overthinking the numerous scenarios where things could have gone differently. But it’s far more valuable to extract the lessons learned from these claims, and use them to inform future strategies. This…

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Jul 06 2023
Safety and HealthWashington

WASHINGTON: Updated heat illness rules effective July 17, 2023

Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) recently updated its permanent rules that protect outdoor workers from heat exposure and illness, effective July 17, 2023. The outdoor heat exposure rules for general industry (which begin at WAC 296-62-095) were revised from WAC 296-62-09510 through 296-62-09560 and the rules for agriculture (which begin at WAC 296-307-097) were revised from…

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Jun 15 2023
Safety and HealthWashington

WASHINGTON: More bills signed from 2023 legislative session

More bills from the 2023 legislative regular session have been signed into law by Washington Governor Jay Inslee. We previously reported on a number of newly signed bills from this session. Two additional bills of interest to employers are listed below. SSB 5217: Authorizes L&I to develop workplace ergonomic safety rules. Effective July 23, 2023,…

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May 23 2023
WashingtonWorkers’ Comp

Working with L&I: How to ensure good claims outcomes

It’s probably safe to say, in business a partner relationship is preferred over an adversarial one. There are low levels of trust in the latter, not to mention stress for both parties and lack of team effort to get the job done quickly and with good results. So, in the instance of workers’ compensation claims…

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May 18 2023
DisabilityEmployee BenefitsLeave Laws

WASHINGTON: Governor signs 2023 legislation

The 2023 legislative regular session ended on April 23, 2023, with Washington Governor Jay Inslee signing multiple employment-related bills into law. Please see our separate articles in today’s newsletter on two of those bills, “WASHINGTON: New bill limits most pre-employment cannabis tests” (regarding ESSB 5123) and “WASHINGTON: Employers must notify warehouse employees of quotas” (regarding…

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May 18 2023
Safety and HealthWage and HourWashington

WASHINGTON: Employers must notify warehouse employees of quotas

Governor Jay Inslee recently signed legislation requiring employers of warehouse distribution center employees to notify them of any production quotas, effective July 1, 2024 (HB 1762). Here are the requirements: Covered industries: A warehouse distribution center is an establishment engaged in activities as defined by any of the following North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)…

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May 18 2023
Drug and AlcoholHiringWashington

WASHINGTON: New bill limits most pre-employment cannabis tests

Governor Jay Inslee has signed ESSB 5123, which will prohibit Washington employers from requiring pre-employment testing for non-psychoactive cannabis (marijuana) metabolites of applicants who lawfully consume cannabis away from work, except under limited circumstances, effective January 1, 2024. It creates a new protected group and makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate against these lawful…

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May 08 2023
WashingtonWorkers’ Comp

Q&A: Is there a right time to use Kept-On-Salary for claims (or not)?

If Kept-On-Salary (KOS) always produced the best financial result for your company, all Retro groups would likely have KOS requirements. The truth is, KOS will always be good for the retro sponsor but there are times when KOS isn’t the best move for you. You need to be armed with the information you need to…

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May 04 2023
Wage and HourWashington

WASHINGTON Q&A: DOT truckers exempt from state break rules

Question: Our truck drivers in Washington, hoping to make more money by completing more deliveries, recently said they don’t need to take mandatory rest and meal periods that comply with Washington law. Is that true? Answer: Surprisingly, yes, assuming the truck drivers you’re referring to are property-carrying commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers subject to the…

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Is My Company Eligible?

If you are a manufacturing or agriculture employer in Washington and committed to keeping your employees safe and working, you may be eligible for Vigilant's workers' compensation Retro or claims management programs. To see if you qualify fill out our release form now, or contact us.

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