High Court Asked to Resolve COLA Flap

The Washington Department of Labor and Industries is asking the state Supreme Court to review a ruling that a cost-of-living freeze in the 2011 workers’ compensation reform bill didn't stop maximum statutory benefits from increasing. In its petition for review, L&I says the appellate court ruling in Crabb v. Department of Labor and Industries expands benefits provided to injured workers without authorization from the Legislature and undermines the intent to cut costs by freezing cost-of-living adjustments for one year. Furthermore, the decision leads to the “absurd result&...