Washington Workers’ Compensation Guide 2026
Understand state-fund and self-insured claims, filing deadlines, medical care, time loss, light duty, and protests.
Identify whether the employer uses L&I or self-insurance
Tell the employer and obtain medical help promptly. For a state-fund claim, a worker can file through FileFast, by calling 1-877-561-FILE, or with the treating provider’s Report of Accident. A worker employed by a self-insured business files through that employer.
L&I or the self-insured employer must receive an accident claim within one year of the injury. An occupational-disease claim must be received within two years after the worker receives written notice from a physician that the condition exists and is work related. The provider generally has five days to send the accident report, but the worker should confirm receipt.
Medical certification controls work status
Tell the provider that the condition is work related and describe every affected body part. The first visit for a workplace injury is covered even before claim approval. If the claim is accepted, L&I covers treatment related to the accepted condition until the condition is fixed and stable.
A worker may choose a provider, but ongoing treatment generally must be with a provider in L&I’s Medical Provider Network. Keep Activity Prescription Forms, work restrictions, chart notes, bills, and communications with the claim manager.
Time loss generally replaces 60% to 75% of the accepted wage
A doctor must certify that the worker cannot work because of the accepted injury. The first three days after injury are a waiting period. For claims on or after June 6, 2024, those days become payable when disability continues through the seventh consecutive calendar day. If eligibility is clear and no further information is needed, the first check is sent within 14 days after L&I or the self-insured employer receives medical notice that the worker cannot work.
Payments normally arrive twice monthly. Suitable light duty approved by the attending provider can affect time loss. When injury-related earning capacity falls by more than 5%, loss-of-earning-power benefits may be available; RCW 51.32.090 applies a separate calculation.
Most orders have a 60-day protest or appeal period
Read every order immediately. A worker generally has 60 days from receipt to protest an L&I order to the department or appeal it to the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals. Some provider, vocational, self-insurance, and claim-management communications follow different procedures.
State exactly what is disputed, identify the claim and order, attach supporting evidence, and keep proof of timely delivery. An unchallenged wage order can become final even if the wage calculation was wrong.
Use the correct official contact
State-fund workers can contact their L&I claim manager or call 360-902-4817. Self-insured workers first contact the employer’s claims representative and may contact L&I Self-Insurance at 360-902-6901. The BIIA provides appeal forms and filing instructions but cannot give legal advice.
How long do I have to file an accident claim?
One year from the injury date. Do not wait for symptoms or an employer investigation to resolve.
Who sends the first time-loss check?
L&I pays state-fund claims; the self-insured employer or its administrator pays self-insured claims.
Must I accept light duty?
The attending provider must review the written job description. Declining medically approved work can jeopardize time-loss entitlement.