HB 1927 passed the Legislature on March 1 and is now on the Governor’s desk. The bill received no amendments during its time in either the House or the Senate.

New bill makes it easier for injured workers to qualify for temporary disability compensation

January 26, 2024

A bill on the hearing schedule this week might make it easier for injured workers to qualify for workers’ compensation benefits for the first few days following their injury.

SB 5932, sponsored by Sen. Derek Stanford (D–Bothell), reduces the time that an injured worker needs to continue their injury to qualify for temporary disability compensation for the first three days of the injury. Under the bill, an injured worker must remain disabled for at least seven days (down from 14 days) to qualify for compensation covering those first three days of injury.

Many workplace injuries only require a few days to recover from, and short duration injuries are classified and compensated by the workers’ compensation system as “medical only” claims with no time loss benefits. Longer term injuries get classified as “indemnity” claims with time loss benefits. This matters to employers because indemnity claims have a larger impact on an employer’s workers’ compensation rates.

SB 5932 lowers the threshold for an injury to be considered an indemnity claim, so more injured workers will likely qualify for time-loss benefits rather than remain medical only claims. Some cities may see their workers’ compensation rates marginally increase if the bill passes.

The House companion bill, HB 1927, was voted out of committee on January 19 without amendments and is now in the House Rules Committee waiting to be scheduled for a floor vote.

Dates to remember

SB 5932 is scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee on Monday, January 29 at 10:30 am.