tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489363879633129568.post2420023717218500705..comments2023-11-13T11:54:56.769-08:00Comments on DePaolo's World: Cynism, or Experience - WA Reform Is Just PoliticsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02446191842560064784noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489363879633129568.post-11867638969093324812013-01-25T09:38:14.029-08:002013-01-25T09:38:14.029-08:00Washington is an outlier in so many ways. The 201...Washington is an outlier in so many ways. The 2011 mini-reforms allowed for settlements on indemnity benefits for those age 55 and older, and provided protections for workers that NO other states have. But leave it to clever trial attorneys who didn't want settlements at all to make claims at a friendly Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals to restrict them even further. Estimated cost savings from settlements are far below anticipated. Why? The Washington Department of Labor and Industries has only submitted about 25 to the BIIA since the law took effect January 1, 2012, and they haven't submitted a settlement in nearly four months (early October 2012.) Where are the cost savings (on which you base a zero rate increase) if you don't actually use the law?<br /><br />Also, that 5.5% per year State Fund rate increase does not include increased costs from year to year (it is solely for building reserves), and it does not include any additional changes that may be required to fund a change in the Pension Discount Rate (and the amount necessary to reserve on existing claims). Total cost is about $3.1 billion to the State Fund, not counting annual claims cost increases.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489363879633129568.post-7232153582474758432013-01-24T14:01:26.268-08:002013-01-24T14:01:26.268-08:00David,
I'm not exactly sure what the differen...David,<br /><br />I'm not exactly sure what the difference is between cynicism and experience. In workers' comp they often seem to be directly proportinal. Your comments regarding the process of making workers' comp law tracks very closely with my experience. Having said that, it is still the only game in town (except in Texas and possibly soon in Oklahoma). The professional in the trenches must deal with what is. A balanced syatem that meets the needs of employees and employers stands the best chance of enduring for a while. The pendulum swings from one extreme to the other benefit neither side in the long run.<br /><br />SamAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08496401822532555239noreply@blogger.com