Central Washington Workers Compensation Lawyer | FAQs

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First, tell your employer or supervisor about your accident and/or injury and seek immediate medical attention. Usually, the medical provider will have a Report of Injury or Occupational Disease form for claim filing, but you can get the form from the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) or from your self-insured employer’s workers’ compensation representative. Get a copy of the report for your records.

If you have a serious injury, you might need to contact a workers’ comp lawyer for additional help or advice.

If you feel your injury requires you to seek legal advice, contact experienced L&I Attorney Tim Hamill of Bothwell & Hamill.

You can file a workers’ compensation claim after getting injured on the job in Washington State by going online, making a phone call, and having your doctor submit a Report of Accident form.

In filing your claim, you’ll need to provide the state Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) details of your accident, witness information, records of your wages, your doctor’s contact details and more.

If you’re denied full workers’ comp benefits, you’ll have more information to send and deadlines to meet as you appeal the decision.

One of the best ways to get the process right, while also making it easier on you, is to get a workers’ compensation attorney who knows the system inside and out.

Learn more about filing for injured worker benefits from the Washington workers’ compensation lawyers at Bothwell & Hamill.

Yes. Per the Washington State workers’ compensation laws, injured workers may choose their own doctor for treatment. The attending medical provider must be licensed in medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine and surgery, naturopathy, podiatry, dentistry, or be an advanced registered nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant.

Additionally, if medically necessary and approved by the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) or your self-insured employer, you may seek treatment from more than one doctor, which is called concurrent care. However, you likely will have one attending physician directing your care.

You may be asked for an “independent” examination from doctors selected by L&I or your self-insured employer. These special exams are provided for under the industrial insurance laws of Washington. The location of these exams must be reasonably close to your home.

Check out Finding Approved Doctors for Workers’ Compensation in Washington State for more information.

If an injury on the job in Washington State makes an earlier injury or medical condition worse, you can get Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) workers’ compensation benefits to cover this as an aggravation of a pre-existing condition.

Sometimes, though, it’s difficult to separate which symptoms come from exacerbation of a pre-existing condition, and which ones don’t.

To make sure you get full coverage for your workplace injury, work with an experienced Washington workers’ comp lawyer who knows all the ins and outs of the process.

Learn more about aggravation of a pre-existing condition workers’ compensation.

If you’re unable to work for more than three days immediately following the injury, the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) or the self-insured employer will usually pay time loss benefits within 14 days of the date the accident report was received by the department or employer.

The report must include certification from your doctor showing you’re unable to work as a direct result of an on-the-job injury or exposure. Attorney Tim Hamill can help you compile the documents necessary to put together a compelling case. Contact us today for a free evaluation.

You must file an industrial injury claim with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) or self-insured employer within one year of the date of injury.

An occupational disease claim must be filed within two years of your doctor advising you in writing that your work produced a symptomatic physical condition. It is best to file the claim as soon as you and your doctor determine that your physical condition is related to your current job or a job you performed in the past.

For hearing loss claims, you must file within two years of your last exposure to work-related noise. If the claim is filed after the two-year deadline, you will only be entitled to medical treatment and hearing aids. No permanent partial disability will be awarded for occupation hearing loss after the deadline.

The workers’ compensation laws are complex and constantly changing. A qualified and experienced workers’ comp attorney can assist you with the process of obtaining benefits and make sure you receive all the benefits you’re entitled to under Washington state laws.

If you have questions, never hesitate to contact a qualified workers’ comp attorney at any time during your claim process. A qualified attorney can often answer your questions during the initial consultation and can make recommendations for moving forward.

Before pursuing benefits, or if you were denied by the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) or your self-insured employer, contact Bothwell & Hamill for help.

If your attending physician determines that your on-the-job injuries prevent you from returning to the type of work you performed in the past, you may be entitled to receive vocational services in addition to ongoing time loss compensation.

In that case, a vocational counselor will meet with you, obtain your complete work history and submit written job analyses to your attending physician. Those analyses may include your job at the time of injury, lighter-duty work performed in the past or a modified job that you have the skills to perform. Should your attending physician sign one of these job analyses, you will be deemed able to work by the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) and your time loss compensation will stop.

However, should your physician determine that you cannot return to regular work or work performed in the past and the vocational counselor agrees that you do not have the skills to perform other work without training, you could receive vocational retraining.

Filing an appeal to the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals can be a lengthy and expensive process. Contact Bothwell and Hamill immediately if you receive a denial or rejection order from L&I. We can review your claim and take appropriate action within the protest or appeal period.

Any unfavorable decision must be protested or appealed within 60 days of receipt or it becomes final and binding.

Time loss compensation calculation may be complex in some cases and is always important. Generally speaking, time loss is determined by your monthly wages at the time of injury or initial illness. Wages can include room and board, income from a second job or self-employment, tips, bonuses and overtime. Wages also include the cost of employer-paid medical, dental and visual insurance premiums. However, employer contributions to a retirement plan are excluded.

After determining your monthly wages, the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) issues an order setting wages on your claim and pays a percentage of the wages as follows:

• Single workers — 60%
• Married workers — 65%
• Each child born or conceived prior to injury date — 2%

If the department-issued wage order is incorrect, the order must be protested or appealed in writing within 60 days.

Yes. Between Social Security Disability and Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) benefits, you’re entitled to receive no more than 80% of your highest year’s earnings or your time loss compensation or pension rate — whichever is higher.

Social Security will reduce any retroactive disability benefits based on the wages you were receiving from L&I. Similarly, the Department will reduce your ongoing benefits based on your Social Security benefits. Applying for Social Security Disability benefits is ideal if you know you will be unable to work for at least year.

Bothwell & Hamill can help you with workers’ comp and Social Security Disability Benefits. If you have questions about either, contact us today.

At Bothwell & Hamill, we understand how difficult paying your medical bills and supporting yourself and your family can be if you’re injured on the job. The workers’ compensation process is full of deadlines and complicated steps. You deserve representation that is proactive, efficient and focused on the important issues.

As workers’ comp attorney Tim Hamill says, “Every decision has a deadline to challenge that decision or it is final.” You deserve an attorney like Tim on your side, speaking up for you at every step.

At Bothwell & Hamill we will evaluate your case for free. We’re happy to discuss your options over the phone if you’re unable to travel to our offices

Contact Bothwell & Hamill today!

The workers’ compensation system run by the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) in Washington is complicated. To get the full benefits that you’re entitled to receive after an injury on the job, you need to make the right decisions from the beginning.

At our workers’ compensation law firm, we gathered tips for getting through this process.

Read our list of common mistakes to avoid in your L&I claim.

As you try to return to work from a job-stopping injury, you may get an offer for “light duty work.” This means a job with the same employer adjusted to be less strenuous than your job before—by order of your doctor.

It can be a way to make a smooth transition back to the workforce. But it also can be a trap. Employers may use light duty work more as a tactic to stop paying for your workers’ comp benefits than to help you fully recover.

Read more on what to expect from light duty work when you’re on L&I workers’ comp in Washington.

If you get workers’ compensation benefits in Washington because of a job injury, you may come across the abbreviation “MMI.”

What does it mean?

MMI stands for “maximum medical improvement.” This is the point when your doctors say your progress recovering from your injury isn’t going to change any more.

It’s a turning point in your workers’ comp claim under the Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). You can go in several different directions from here.

Find out more about what happens to your L&I workers’ comp claim if you reach maximum medical improvement.