You Deserve Compensation for Your Work-Related Injuries

At Boohoff Law, we understand that the Workers’ Compensation system doesn’t always function the way it should. That’s why we’ve worked hard to help injured workers get the benefits they deserve. Our law firm has learned the system’s subtle issues and tedious requirements. We’ve helped our injured clients overcome the problems that prevented them from qualifying for Permanent Partial Disabilities, Pensions, or Structured Settlements.

We’ve pursued every lead to recover damages from third-party defendants. Workers’ Compensation claims don’t always have complex issues but sometimes the system works against you. When your claim stalls or L&I denies you the benefits to which you’re entitled, you need a legal advocate working to move your claim forward. An experienced workers’ compensation attorney can help you get the benefits you deserve. Rely on our experience and dedication.

Workers’ Compensation Coverage

When you’re injured or sustain an occupational disease on the job, your employer must have coverage in place to reimburse you for the expenses you incur. When injured employees submit a claim, payment is contingent upon whether or not the claim is accepted. Washington companies don’t get to choose their insurance company. They can give their employees one of two coverage options.

• Washington State Department of Labor and Industries: L&I provides Workers’ Compensation coverage to two-thirds of the businesses in the state. An employer who chooses coverage through the state fund may deduct a portion of the premiums from their workers’ paychecks. These deductions cover premiums for the Medical Aid Fund and the Supplemental Pension Fund, which pays pension cost of living increases.
• L&I approved self-insured plan: To maintain self-insured status, a company must meet the state’s financial criteria. Once approved, self-insured businesses administer their workers’ compensation plans themselves or contract with a benefits administrator to do it. Self-insured companies are responsible for paying the same benefits as state-funded insurance. They must handle open and reopened cases. They must also pay benefits for previously submitted claims even after they give up their self-insured status.

Types of On-the-Job Injuries

Thousands of workplace injuries occur in Washington each year. They happen in offices, factories, and outdoor work environments. Employees in all occupations sustain workplace injuries and occupational diseases. Many occur as a result of conditions cited in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) top-10 list of standards violations.

While employees can recover from some injuries, others cause a lifetime of problems and disabilities. When L&I tracks injuries, they list categories of incidents, body parts involved, and injury descriptions. Below are some of the most frequent injuries from claims submitted across all industries.

• Traumatic injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints
• Intracranial injuries, including skull
• Nervous system and sense organ diseases
• Traumatic back injuries, including spine and spinal cord
• Digestive system diseases and disorders of the abdomen
• Traumatic injuries to bones and nerves
• Burns on face, hands, arms, multiple body parts
• Multiple traumatic injuries, including upper extremities
• Diseases to blood and blood-forming organs
• Respiratory system diseases
• Open wounds of multiple head locations

Who Is at Fault When an On-the-Job Injury Occurs?

In 1911, the Workers’ Compensation Act changed the idea of fault for workplace injuries. The Act, currently codified under Title 51 RCW, created Washington’s Industrial Insurance system. Even if an employer negligently contributes to the conditions that cause an employee’s injuries, comp benefits are the primary resource for medical bills, lost wages, and related expenses.

When considering the role an employer may have played in injuring an employee, fault is usually irrelevant. Employees turn their claims in to the Department of Labor and Industries. If their employer is self-insured, they deal directly with their employer’s claims administrator or contracted representative. Workers’ Compensation coverage is often seen as the only resource for payment of costs due to workplace injuries, but there are a few exceptions.

Intentional Injuries

When an employer causes an intentional injury, an employee may have a right to pursue damages based on provisions outlined in RCW §51.24.020. The injured employee may collect damages above those paid by Workers’ Compensation.

Third-Party Claims

If someone other than an employer caused or contributed to a workplace injury the employee may collect additional damages through a third-party claim. This may be an option under these and other circumstances.

• A defective machine caused a workplace injury.
• Improperly labeled component chemicals caused a respiratory injury.
• A driver struck a delivery van while an employee was making a delivery.
• The property owner failed to deactivate the electricity on a job site causing an electrocution injury.
• A non-employee contractor dropped an object on a worker’s head.

What Benefits and Damages Can an Injured Worker Recover?

When you’re injured in a workplace accident or sustain an occupational disease on the job, your employer must have coverage to reimburse you for the expenses you incur. When injured employees submit a claim, payment of these benefits is contingent upon whether or not the claim is accepted.

• Medical benefits
• Vocational services
• Time loss compensation: You receive wage replacement benefits if your doctor certifies that you’re unable to work. Your benefit totals 60 to 75 percent of your wages up to the current maximum. The first three days of lost time is considered a waiting period.
• Prescription medications: A schedule of drugs is approved for payment. L&I reimburses out-of-pocket costs.
• Travel reimbursement: Pays transportation costs when your physician is over 15 miles away.
• Property reimbursement: Replaces personal property lost or damaged during an accident at work.
• Permanent partial disability: PPD benefits are based on a doctor’s rating that you can work but you will have a permanent degree of disability.
• Pension: If a doctor certifies you for Permanent Total Disability you will receive a pension. PTD usually involves a catastrophic condition such as loss of use of both legs or both arms or lost vision.
• Structured settlement: You settle your claim with L&I by agreeing to a series of periodic cash payments instead of monthly time loss benefits.

Third-Party Settlement

If your attorney makes a damage claim against a negligent third party, you may also recover general damages. General damages pay for subjective issues related to personal and lifestyle changes caused by your accident.

• Pain and suffering
• Loss of family relationships
• Emotional distress
• Permanent scars and disfigurement
• Loss of bodily functions
• Permanent limitations and disabilities
• Lifestyle changes

How Can an Employer Avoid Approving a Compensation Claim?

Sometimes an employer’s drive to avoid claim payments is tied to a desire to reduce business expenses. Workers’ compensation claim avoidance gives them an opportunity to do that. As the coverage is mandatory, it’s an unavoidable expense but businesses that improve their loss experience can reduce their premiums.

When a company has a retrospective rating plan L&I Auditors review their claim experience every 12 months. If they’ve lowered their claim costs, they receive a premium refund and a lower rate. As workers’ compensation rates are based on employee work hours and paid claims, reducing claims helps employers reduce costs. An employer can reduce their worker’s compensation costs in several ways.

• Employee misclassification: Non-employees aren’t entitled to workers’ compensation benefits and they aren’t rated in premium calculations. If an employer classifies workers as independent contractors, they avoid payroll and other taxes and won’t have to include the worker or his claims when L&I rates their policy. Misclassification is sometimes a mistake, but it’s also recognized as a ploy to reduce employer costs.
• Reject your claim: When an employer rejects your claim, it reduces the company’s loss ratio which often leads to insurance premium savings.
• Fail to turn in your claim: If an employer doesn’t turn in a claim for every workplace injury that occurs, it also improves loss ratios and insurance premiums.

How Do Third-Party Defendants Avoid Paying Claims?

Third parties use the same defenses negligent entities and insurance companies use when trying to avoid claim settlements.

• No negligence: If a defendant can convince a jury that they weren’t negligent and didn’t cause an injury, they won’t owe for the injured person’s damages.
• Contributory fault: Under Washington’s Contributory Fault Statute, RCW §4.22.005, an injured person can be partially responsible for their own injuries. Juries and insurance companies reduce damages based on a person’s negligence percentage.
• Damage mitigation: Defendants can reduce a plaintiff’s damages if they prove the worker exaggerated their injuries or that some or all of the damages may have occurred elsewhere.
• No defect: If a manufacturer of a defective machine proves there was no defect, they pay nothing.

At Boohoff Law, our attorneys have handled all aspects of Washington workers’ compensation claims. We’ve investigated our clients’ accidents and reviewed the evidence early during the life of each case. Thorough preparation has allowed us to handle appeals and successfully manage creative third-party defenses.

Seattle Workers’ Compensation FAQ

While Washington ranks as one of the safer states in the country for workplace fatalities, 84 fatal work accidents still took place here in one recent year. One year later, more than 28,000 workplace injuries took place in Washington. These numbers make it clear that even a relatively safe state leaves employees susceptible to injury or death on the job. Read on to understand more about how to secure recovery after being injured at work. For information about your legal options, contact Boohoff Law today.

Q: What is workers’ compensation?

Workers’ compensation is a state-run system that ensures that employees secure a recovery for medical expenses and temporary or partial disability suffered while at work. Employees are not required to file a lawsuit or prove that the employer acted negligently.

To recover, the employee is only required to show that the injury occurred at work. You must, however, follow many administrative steps. Failure to follow the process or advocate for your recovery can result in an unfair outcome. The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) administers the workers’ compensation program in Washington. Workers’ compensation is also called industrial insurance and state laws govern it.

Q: Do I qualify for Seattle workers’ compensation recovery?

All employees injured at work are eligible for recovery through workers’ compensation insurance. The only individuals exempt from the workers’ compensation laws are independent contractors. The state has outlined a multi-factor test to determine if someone is an independent contractor:

• The individual is free from the employer’s control or direction;
• The provided service is outside the usual course of business, performed outside the place of business, or the individual is responsible for costs of the location where services are performed;
• The individual is customarily engaged in an independently established occupation of the same nature as the contracted service or has a principal place of business eligible for a business deduction for IRS purposes;
• The individual is responsible for filing a schedule of expenses with the IRS;
• The individual has established an account with the Department of Revenue and other state agencies as required; and
• The individual maintains a separate set of books or records that reflect all items of income and expenses.

Additionally, for construction, the individual is properly registered as a contractor or has a valid electrical contractor license. An attorney would work with you to evaluate your status as an employee or independent contractor at the time of the accident. Contact Boohoff Law today to get started.

Q: What are the common causes of Seattle workplace injuries?

Certain injuries are more common at work. Based on data compiled by L&I, the following injury causes are the most common in Washington:

• Overexertion
• Falls
• Exposure to a traumatic or stressful event
• Being struck by or against an object
• Exposure to caustic, noxious, or allergenic substances
• Repetitive motion
• Highway accidents

The most common injuries resulting from workplace accidents are:

• Injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments, or joints
• Open wounds
• Surface wounds and bruises
• Injuries to bone, nerves, or spinal cord
• Nervous system and sense organ diseases
• Intracranial injuries

Q: What should I do after getting injured at work in Seattle?

Your first priority is to secure any immediately necessary medical attention. Once you receive medical care, notify your employer of the injury. After notifying your employer, complete an accident report form. L&I must receive this form within one year of your injury date to file a claim. To complete the form, you need the following information:

• Location where the injury occurred;
• Contact information for any witnesses;
• Employer information;
• Wage information;
• Dependent information; and
• Contact information for any medical provider you have seen for the injuries.

If your medical treatment is ongoing, the doctor is required to provide periodic updates to L&I. If your employer is self-insured, you must follow different administrative steps for recovery. Your lawyer could help you navigate the process.

Q: What compensation will I receive from L&I?

Workers’ compensation provides the following benefits:

• Medical benefits: L&I will cover medical bills directly related to your injury as long as it is deemed necessary by your primary care provider.
• Wage replacement: If you miss work because of your injury, L&I will pay for a portion of your lost wages. You would recover somewhere between 60 to 75 percent of the income you earned, depending on your number of dependents.
• Permanent disability: If your injury results in partial or total permanent disability, you would qualify for additional payments. The amount of the payment will depend on the nature and extent of your injury.

Your lawyer can help you ensure that your disability is appropriately classified and that you receive the benefits you deserve.

Q: What if my Seattle workers’ compensation claim is denied or my benefits are not sufficient?

An L&I may:

• Dispute where the injury occurred;
• Claim the injury was pre-existing or not work-related;
• Claim you were an independent contractor and not an employee; and
• Claim errors in calculating benefits.

Additionally, even if workers’ compensation approves your claim, you might disagree with the calculation of benefits. If workers’ compensation denies your claim, you have the option to protest the decision or file an appeal. Each of these processes has critical information and timeline requirements that you must follow. If not followed, you risk losing your ability to dispute the claim denial. Work with your lawyer to understand all procedural requirements, present a strong case when preparing your case, or protest or appeal the decision.

Q: What happens when I return to work?

You are authorized to return to work once your medical provider determines it is safe to do so. If medical restrictions keep you from immediately returning to your regular job, work with your employer to identify light duty work opportunities. If your injuries leave you completely unable to return to your regular job, there are resources to help you train for a new job.

Depending on the nature of your injury, you might qualify for Preferred Worker status, which enables an employer to receive financial incentives when it hires an individual for a medically approved job. The team at Boohoff Law has helped injured workers pursue the recovery they deserve. Contact the firm today for a free consultation to see what we can do for you.

Boohoff Law Workers’ Compensation Attorneys

If you’ve been injured on the job or sustained an occupational disease in Seattle, Washington, you shouldn’t have to fight to get your benefits. At Boohoff Law, our attorneys have worked with many injured employees. We’ve helped them get the benefits to which they were entitled. Let us determine if we can help you. Contact Boohoff Law at (877) 999-9999 or complete our online contact form. We’ll schedule a consultation to review your case.