L&I Proposes 3.8% Rate Increase

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries is proposing a 3.8% increase in the average hourly rate employers and workers will pay for comp coverage next year. If the proposal is adopted, the department said, the average cost of providing insurance for each full-time employee would increase by about a dollar per week. “The proposed increase reflects the fact that the costs of replacing injured workers’ wages and covering their medical care have increased,” L&I Director Joel Sacks said in a statement. The department said the proposed increase is slightly low...