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Do You Want to Protest an L&I Decision?

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Every decision reached by L&I regarding a worker’s compensation claim requires the use of judgment. If you do not agree with the decision, it may help to first speak with your claim manager; however, you may protest to L&I if you believe their decision was wrong. You may also appeal directly to the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals without first protesting to L&I. You are not required to have an attorney for the protest or appeal; however, an experienced legal counsel could be beneficial during this complex process.

Protest to L&I

If you intend to protest to L&I, you must send it, in writing, within sixty days of receiving their decision. As clearly as you can, explain in detail why you believe the decision was unfair, and supply any additional information you think could assist them in their new evaluation. Your claim will be reviewed and L&I will send you a written decision in response to your protest. If you disagree with this decision you may appeal to the Board.

Appeal to the Board after Protest to L&I

Your appeal to the Board must be sent within sixty days of receiving L&I’s decision. Independently of L&I, the Board conducts hearings on claim issues that cannot be otherwise settled to the satisfaction of you, your employer or the department. The Board will issue a written decision regarding your case after personal arguments and testimony have been taken. If you are dissatisfied with the Board’s decision, you may appeal to a Washington State Superior Court.

How a Worker’s Compensation Lawyer Can Help

While the assistance of an attorney is not required for either the protest or appeal process, these are both complex and potentially confusing ordeals. If you are dissatisfied with L&I’s decision regarding your worker’s compensation claim, contact us today and let us assist you in getting the compensation you have worked hard for.

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Getting Back to Work: Transitional Work and Worker’s Compensation

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Getting back to your original job and wages after an injury or illness is harder to do the longer you are off of work. While returning to work may preserve your earning power, returning too soon after an injury can complicate your recovery and your health. If possible, you may be able to return to work doing transitional work while you completely recover from your injury.

Getting Back to Work

A new L&I program reimburses eligible employers for providing a light-duty or transitional job. By working closely with your doctor and employer, you can get back to work as quickly as possible.

  • Keep in touch with your employer and ask if they know about the Stay at Work program
  • Ask your employer about options for getting back to work, such as light-duty or a transitional job, or workplace modifications
  • Talk to your healthcare provider about jobs you can do safely

Even though returning to work in a light-duty or transitional job will not affect the status of your claim, your time-loss benefits could be affected if your employer offers you light-duty or transitional work.

Vocational Services

In some cases, the severity of an injury may make it difficult to return to work. If so, your claim manager may assign a vocational counselor to work with you, your employer and your doctor to evaluate your return-to-work options by asking:

  • Can your regular job be temporarily modified? By including part-time or light-duty work, the physical demands of a job can sometimes be temporarily changed to accommodate physical restrictions.
  • Can your regular job be permanently modified? Sometimes, it is possible for employers to permanently alter the physical demands of a job to customize it to certain physical restrictions.
  • Can you return to a new job with your employer? Sometimes, a different job is available with your employer that accommodates your physical restrictions.

Some workers have injuries that prevent them from ever returning to work with their employer, but they may have skills to enter another line of work. In this case, a vocational counselor can help you assess your employability, and design a training program for L&I’s approval, by matching your skillset, limitations and abilities to job opportunities in your area.

Contact Seattle Worker’s Compensation Attorneys

We understand that getting better and returning to work are important to you. However, sometimes the technicalities of L&I’s vocational services can be confusing. Don’t hesitate to contact our knowledgeable Seattle worker’s compensation attorneys with any questions you may have.

If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle worker’s compensation attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The workers’ compensation lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.

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Third Party Claims and Worker’s Compensation in Washington

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If you have been injured on the job, you are generally not allowed to sue your employer or other co-workers. You are allowed, however, to be compensated through the worker’s compensation system for medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages you have incurred. If someone other than your employer or co-workers caused your workplace accident, you are then allowed to file a third party injury claim against that person.

Washington’s worker’s compensation laws can be difficult to understand and navigate through. As such, an experienced Seattle worker’s compensation lawyer can help you understand all of your benefits and determine if you are eligible to file a third party injury claim.

Examples of Third Party Injury Accidents

There are many ways you can be injured by a negligent third party while on the job, but the most common ones include:

  • Dog bite or animal attack
  • Slip and fall due to property owner’s negligence in a building where you were working
  • Defective product, tool, or device that injured you on the job
  • Car accident while working on the job
  • Construction site accidents by other contractors on the job
  • Toxic exposure
  • Sexual assault while on the job
  • Injuries while working on a different job site
  • And more

The benefits to filing a third party injury claim are numerous. Unlike worker’s compensation, there are no limits put on the amount of damages you may seek. While worker’s compensation may fail to meet all of your medical needs, a third party injury claim can ensure that you have enough money to meet all of your expenses and fully recover.

The Department of Labor & Industries, a third party administrator, or a self-insured employer may have given you paperwork to fill out after your injury. This paperwork may have included options about filing a lawsuit against a third party. If you do not complete this paperwork in a timely manner, you could lose your ability to file a third party claim. Before filing out any paperwork, discuss your accident with a lawyer. Your attorney can make certain that you receive all the benefits to which you are entitled and ensure that you do not miss any critical deadlines for filing third party injury claims.

Contact Seattle Worker’s Compensation Attorneys

If you have been injured on the job and have questions regarding your worker’s compensation, an experienced worker’s compensation attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle worker’s compensation attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The workers’ compensation lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington. 

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Will L&I Pay My Medical Bills?

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If you are employed in Washington, you are entitled to no-fault accident and disability coverage. This can either be through L&I‘s Washington State Fund or a self-insured employer’s policy. This is known as worker’s compensation and it is available for all employees. Understanding your benefits is a crucial to receiving the money you need to recover after a work-related injury.

L&I will only cover an injury if it happens at a definite time and place at work. Occupational diseases are only accepted if you can show that your disease was caused by work and work alone. Every year, 100,000 work-related injuries and occupational diseases are reported to L&I, and an additional 47,500 are reported to self-insured companies.

If you are covered under L&I’s Washington State Fund, then L&I will compensate your health care provider and there will be no out-of-pocket expenses to you for covered treatment. L&I will pay for hospital expenses, surgeries, pharmaceutical costs, and other services, including nursing home care, glasses, hearing aids, crutches, prostheses, and dental repair.

It is important to note that L&I will only pay for your medical expenses IF they accept your claim. Not all L&I claims are accepted. Yet like most insurance programs, they can deny claims that are valid. At Phillips Law Firm, our workers’ compensation lawyers work diligently to ensure that your claim is accepted. If necessary, we can have independent medical examinations conducted to establish the severity of the injury sustained.

The procedures for navigating through the Workers’ Compensation System in Washington can be overwhelming—especially when you are injured. As a result, many injured workers fail to receive the compensation they are entitled to.

Contact Seattle Worker’s Compensation Attorneys

If you have been injured on the job and have questions regarding your worker’s compensation, an experienced Seattle workers’ compensation attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle worker’s compensation attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The workers’ compensation lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.

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