Effective July 1, 2016, The Department of Labor & Industries will apply a 2.63% cost-of-living (COLA) increase to time loss compensation and pension benefits. The increase is based on the 2015 increase in the state average wage as published by Employment Security.
Some injured workers, whose L & I benefits are reduced because they receive social security benefits, will not see an increase in their time loss or pension benefits. For those people, the Department of Labor & Industries will review their benefits every three years in what is called a triennial re-determination.
The Walthew Law Firm offers more than 75 years of experience as social security disability lawyers in Seattle and greater Washington state. Our goal is to fight for workers’ compensation and social security disability benefits as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
If you have any questions about discrepancies in your benefit rate and COLA, please contact us at our Seattle or Everett law offices today.
In other news: Also on July 1, 2016, the Supreme Court issued a decision regarding the deadline in which people can file workers’ compensation injury claims. The particular issue was whether a claim filed on September 29, 2011 was timely filed for a September 29, 2010 industrial injury. The Department of Labor & Industries claimed that it wasn’t timely filed, while the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals argued that it was. The Court of Appeals then ruled “no” in a split decision, but the Supreme Court ruled “yes.”
This is an extremely important decision for injured workers’ rights. Generally, the best practice is to file a workers’ compensation claim as soon as possible after a serious injury at work. In no event, however, can it be filed more than one year following the date of the injury.
If you need an experienced workers’ comp attorney or have any questions about your rights under Washington state’s workers’ comp laws, please visit The Walthew Law Firm website to learn more.