When choosing to hire an L&I attorney, it’s important to do your research. Many law firms will claim they’re the best for you, but not every firm is created equal. Hiring the wrong attorney means potentially losing your case or being the victim of malpractice. It’s important to veri...
[caption id="attachment_46872" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Photo credit: iStockphoto.com/Cineberg[/caption] Workers who are injured or develop a work-related illness in Washington state are entitled to benefits through the workers’ compensation insurance system. About 70% of workers’ com...
[caption id="attachment_22651" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Photo credit: iStock.com/8c061bbf_466[/caption] Workplace injuries and illnesses take many forms and require a variety of legal strategies to secure compensation. One of the more complex types of cases involves proving that an illness ...
After nearly a half of a year stuck in legal battles and hospital beds, East Olympia firefighter Chief Warren Peterson has been granted workers’ compensation benefits in what seemed like an open-and-shut case, according to an investigation by KING 5 News. The case, which turned out to be anythin...
Reports of an in increase in consumer spending provided more good news for the U.S. economy and boosted stocks on Friday as Wall Street closed its best first quarter since 1998.  In February, consumer spending rose by the highest rate in seven months – 0.8% – prompting economists to boost their...
In an effort to promote best practices and reduce worker injury from exposure to hazardous chemicals, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has renewed its alliance with the Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC). Working together, these organizations will continue to ad...
The Department of Labor & Industries is soliciting public feedback on draft rules for implementing parts of the workers’ compensation medical network, scheduled to launch in 2013. These rules concern injured workers’ visits to non-network providers and will spell out what L&I will pay fo...
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently cited Florida-based Bennett Electrical Services Co. for three safety violations, including one judged to be willful, following the serious injury of an employee. In the course of an inspection begun in August b...
Many people identify Berkeley with the Free Speech Movement of 1960s, but few know that Berkeley was also a central player in the disability rights movement. Berkeley’s campus is where Ed Roberts — a student with quadriplegia — emerged as an outspoken advocate of the cause. Peggy Klaus, a con...
The Department of Labor & Industries will host four hearings for public comment on regulations concerning structured settlement agreements for workers’ compensation claims. In 2011, the Washington State Legislature passed several major workers’ compensation reform acts.  Engrossed House Bi...