On May 17, 2021, the Washington Department of Labor and Industries announced: “The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) will begin offering an electronic option for the claim administrator certification test in June. During the past year, L&I was not able to offer in-person testing due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic and……

New legislation affecting healthcare and frontline workers sets forth a different exposure standard for each affected group to establish an occupational disease presumption. In response to the global pandemic, the Washington State legislature recently passed SB 5115 (“Health Emergency Labor Standards,” or “HELSA,” for short) and SB 5190 (“Providing health care workers with presumptive benefits……

Attorney Jenn Truong guest blogged for Approach Management Services on April 21, 2021. “When to Hire a Workers’ Comp Attorney” discussed not only claims litigation, but also employer audits and WISHA citations. Click here to read her blog.   …

In 2020 and 2021, there was a lot of action in Washington’s legislature surrounding the rules for when and how employers can obtain Independent Medical Examinations (IMEs) in Washington workers’ compensation claims. In 2020, various iterations of IME updates were proposed and discussed, with final versions enacted effective January 1, 2021. In 2021, additional restraints……

A new statutory change to the Claim Resolution Structured Settlement Agreement (CRSSA), signed into law by Washington Governor Inslee April 16, 2021, provides a new lump sum payment option, in addition to initial payment and subsequent monthly payments. The lump sum payment provision now makes CRSSAs an even more attractive settlement option for employers and……

Reading matters to the attorneys and staff at Reinisch Wilson Weier PC. During March and April 2021, the firm raised $5,376 as part of the Smart Reading Lawyers for Literacy campaign. This amount will help provide either 1,800 books or two new books each month for a year for 15 children. SMART Reading, the recipient……

For the third time in four years, Reinisch Wilson Weier PC has been recognized as the most diverse Portland, Oregon, metropolitan-area law firm among large law firms (20 or more attorneys) by the Portland Business Journal. The firm was ranked third most diverse in 2020 and most diverse in both 2019 and 2018. The Portland……