The WSIA Weekly, 3.27.15
Benefit Accuracy Working Group proposal clears latest legislative hurdle
WSIA’s top legislative priority, the creation of a business-labor collaborative at Labor & Industries to work through issues related to wage simplification and identify potential improvements to the calculation statutes, has advanced past the most recent legislative deadline, garnering a unanimous vote out of the House Labor Committee. Concerns that had kept the labor and trial lawyer lobby on the fence about the idea now appear to be ironed out. ESB 5510 now awaits a vote of the full House.
Structured settlement legislation appears dead for the year
ESB 5513, a legislative proposal to reduce the eligibility age for structured settlements to 40, cleared the Senate with bipartisan support a few weeks ago, but leaders in the House of Representatives have refused to give the bill a hearing or move it further. For the third session in a row, it appears that any improvement to the structured settlement program is dead for the year.
Congrats to our new certified claims handlers – 100% passage rate at March Certification Review!
For the second quarter in a row and as is often the case, 100 percent of our test-takers attending our March certification review and taking the L&I certified claims handler exam have passed and will obtain certification. WSIA offers the Certification Review course quarterly in the days before the L&I exam, taught by expert instructors in both claims handling and Washington’s unique workers’ compensation system. This quarter’s course was taught again by Erinn Hyre and Trevin Steepy of Sedgwick and Kevin Kincade of Eberle Vivian. It’s indispensable prep for anyone sitting for L&I’s exam, and a good overview/refresher on Washington’s system for other professionals. The next exam and review class comes in June.