Businesses could pay more for workers’ comp in Washington

• The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is proposing a 4.9% increase in the average hourly rate employers and workers will pay for workers’ compensation insurance next year.
• If adopted, the increase would mean employers and workers on average would jointly pay an additional $65 a year for each full-time employee within a business.
• The proposed increase is below what L&I expects to pay for 2024 claims, so the agency will augment the premiums with funds from the workers’ compensation contingency reserve.
• A typical worker will continue to pay about a quarter of the premium, similar to 2023. The proposed increase means employees would pay about $11 more on average in 2024.
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Social Security wants billions back from workers’ comp recipients

• The Social Security Administration is trying to reclaim billions of dollars from many of the nation’s poorest and most vulnerable with payments it sent them but now says they never should have received.
• During the 2022 fiscal year, the agency clawed back $4.7 billion of overpayments, while another $21.6 billion remained outstanding.
• One consequence is a costly collection effort for the government and a potentially devastating ordeal for the beneficiary.
• The agency declined to say how many people have been asked to repay overpayments.
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NSL launches program to prevent workplace overdoses

• Deaths on the job from drug overdoses have increased 536% since 2011.
• The National Safety Council is launching a new workplace safety program, Respond Ready Workplace, designed to increase awareness of the need for naloxone in workplaces and ensure people are trained to use it.
• Most employers do not understand the tragic data on the increasing fatalities in the workplace. NSC will provide educational materials to raise awareness about the opioid crisis and the importance of naloxone in mitigating its impact.
• Employee Training: NSC will provide comprehensive training resources to educate employees on the proper administration of naloxone, empowering all workers to respond swiftly and effectively in emergency situations.
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Temporary total indemnity benefits with workers’ comp

• Under Connecticut law, in order for a claimant to be entitled to temporary total indemnity benefits, his injury must result in a total incapacity to work.
• A claimant who voluntarily retires without any intention of returning to the workforce and does not return to work is not entitled to temporary total indemnity benefits.
• Temporary total disability status will no longer create an automatic entitlement to indemnity benefits for an injured worker.
• If an employer learns that an employee with an open workers’ compensation claim has retired or is making plans to retire, they should notify their carrier to ensure that this is noted on the claim in the event the claimant returns to seek benefits.
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