Senate Passes Lump Sum Settlement Bill

The Washington state Senate unanimously passed a bill that would give injured workers eligible to settle their claims the option of receiving a lump sum payment. The Washington Legislature 10 years ago passed a comprehensive reform bill that included a one-year freeze on cost-of-living increases, created a new stay-at-work program to defray costs of providing light-duty jobs for recovering workers and for the first time allowed some injured workers to settle their claims. Workers must be at least 50 to settle their comp claim and must receive structured payments. Senate Bill 5046,...