L&I Contingency Reserve Growing, Still Short of Target

The Washington state Department of Labor and Industries has more than doubled its contingency reserve over the last four years, but the account is still about 25% short of the targeted amount. From 2015 to 2016, L&I increased its combined contingency reserve for the state-monopoly system 18.8%, to $1.455 billion from $1.225 billion. The account is in better shape than it was in 2012, when it held just $590 million. But it’s still short of the $1.941 billion target set by L&I’s Workers’ Compensation Advisory Committee. The contingency reserve has been hanging over th...