Recent Articles

2011 Legislative Updates

Chris Sharpe
June 27, 2011 18:09

Several bills impacting workers' compensation were signed into law by Governor Christine Gregoire this year.  A brief summary of some of the major changes follows.  Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) payments The 8% interest applied to the unpaid balance of PPD awards has been eliminated....

Undocumented Immigrants and Washington State Workers' Compensation

Chris Sharpe
June 03, 2011 19:20

By Christopher Sharpe and Sarah Leyrer[1]   In Washington and around the country, immigrants, and especially undocumented immigrants do some of the least rewarding work: jobs where the pay is low and the risk is high.[2] Industries with the highest concentrations of undocumented workers are...

Senate bill 5594, protection for health care workers

Chris Sharpe
April 13, 2011 23:15

Can a cancer drug cause cancer is someone who doesn't have cancer?  YES! Health care workers can contract similar conditions as those they are treating in others, often by transmission of toxic agents contained in the very same health care drugs being used to effect a cure. The Washington...

Workers' Comp Reform Is In The Air

Chris Sharpe
January 27, 2011 23:24

Big industry is rich and getting richer. They reap multi-billion dollar profits, and together with the Supreme Corp. Court of America, they have made it easy for business to buy politicians so business can have their political will done.  This includes continuing and relentless pressure on the...

Your State of Washington L&I pension - Is it safe?

Chris Sharpe
December 01, 2010 22:45

THE HEADLINES ABOUT PENSIONS ARE ALARMING You can't miss the headlines and daily news stories about pension funds in trouble, some of them in big trouble. The failing pension funds of various private employers, publicly traded companies, unions, municipalities, and states appear to be spreading...

Employer Premiums - The Reason Employers Fight L&I Claims

Chris Sharpe
November 08, 2010 23:03

  Washington’s L&I premiums are a significant expense, especially in hazardous industries. This article will discuss how L&I sets rates and how employers can help control this cost. Injured employees who understand these principles can help make better decisions about their...

Second Injury Fund Assessments

Chris Sharpe
October 18, 2010 23:57

The second injury fund (SIF) just got harder to access.  Back in the old days, savvy self insured employers used the SIF frequently and in effect got their fellow self insured employers to share in paying all their SIF pension costs. That changed recently in a two step process. Effective July...

Alice in Wonderland - A Lesson in Occupational Disease

Chris Sharpe
October 06, 2010 16:53

The Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland's nutty tea drinker, probably got nutty because of his job.  Hat makers, back in the days when Lewis Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland, used mercury to cure animal pelts. These pelts were often used in the hats of the day, and those hat makers who inhaled...

Summertime in Washington State, time for an L&I COLA

Chris Sharpe
October 01, 2010 23:21

Cost of living adjustments (COLA), are the once a year right and privilege of L&I time loss and pension recipients. Effective July 1st, most workers receiving time loss or pension benefits became entitled to an automatic cost of living adjustment.   This year it's COLA light for the...

I-1082 in Washington State: Workers' Compensation at the Crossroads

Chris Sharpe
September 25, 2010 21:51

A coalition of consumer groups recently released a report critical of a move to privatize Washington's state-run workers' compensation program, saying the current system is "remarkably cost-effective, with higher benefits to workers."  Voters in Washington State will soon make a big decision....