Kinney Law Group — Washington Injury and Disability Law Blog

Before the Department of Labor and Industries closes your claim to put you on a pension, it sends you a Pension Option form. The form is confusing and misleading because L&I does not “show its math.” Here is some information that will… Read More

Two bills signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee will grant presumptive workers’ compensation protections to health care and frontline workers during a public health emergency, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill (ESSB) 5115… Read More

L&I recently released its policy on a worker’s right to bring an observer to an IME. This is a good policy for injured workers. It provides: You can bring an adult friend or family member as an observer to a non-mental health IME. You cannot br… Read More

From the L&I News, May 4, 2018: May 04, 2018 #18-014 “Safety Stand-Down” campaign helps prevent construction falls and saves lives TUMWATER — Each year falls cause more disabling injuries and deaths in Washington than any other workplace ha… Read More

The typical “settlement” in a worker’s compensation case involves the award of a permanent partial disability award (PPD) when an injured worker can return to work. Occasionally, a severely injured worker will not return to work, an… Read More

I hurt my back again (or neck, or knee, or….). Should I reopen my old claim or file a new one? Always do both. File a reopening application for an old claim if the medical condition was previously covered by an old claim, and file a new claim,… Read More

We have always represented a lot of ironworkers out of Local 86, so it’s good to see them hard at work in Seattle. Since July 2016, Seattle has led the nation in the number of cranes on jobsites. Seattle maintains its national lead with 45 working… Read More

If I were to list the top 10 mistakes made on workers’ compensation cases in Washington State, near the top would be a worker failing to appeal a wage order that sets his or her monthly wages too low. A worker’s time loss compensation is based on… Read More