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ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 1085
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C 338 L 85
State of Washington 49th Legislature 1985 Regular Session
By House Committee on Commerce & Labor (originally sponsored by Representatives Rayburn, Patrick, Baugher, Wang, McMullen, R. King, Bristow, Sayan, Basich, Peery, Fisch, Leonard, Gallagher, Ballard, Cole, Unsoeld, Winsley, K. Wilson, Haugen, Ebersole, Wineberry, Todd, Dellwo and Armstrong; by Joint Select Committee on Workers' Compensation request)
Read first time 3/27/85 and passed to Committee on Rules.
AN ACT Relating to prompt actions by the department of labor and industries; amending RCW 51.36.080; and adding a new section to chapter 51.28 RCW.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. Section 55, chapter 289, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. and RCW 51.36.080 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) All fees and medical charges under this title shall conform to regulations promulgated by the director and shall be paid within sixty days of receipt by the department of a proper billing in the form prescribed by department rule or sixty days after the claim is allowed by final order or judgment, if an otherwise proper billing is received by the department prior to final adjudication of claim allowance. The department shall pay interest at the rate of one percent per month, but at least one dollar per month, whenever the payment period exceeds the applicable sixty-day period on all proper fees and medical charges.
Beginning in fiscal year 1987, interest payments under this subsection may be paid only from funds appropriated to the department for administrative purposes. A record or payments made under this subsection shall be submitted twice yearly to the commerce and labor committees of the senate and the house of representatives and to the ways and means committees of the senate and the house of representatives.
Nothing in this section may be construed to require the payment of interest on any billing, fee, or charge if the industrial insurance claim on which the billing, fee, or charge is predicated is ultimately rejected or the billing, fee, or charge is otherwise not allowable.
(2) The director may establish procedures for selectively or randomly auditing the accuracy of fees and medical billings submitted to the department under this title.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 51.28 RCW to read as follows:
An employer shall be promptly notified by the department when it has determined that a worker of that employer is entitled to compensation under RCW 51.32.090. Notification shall include, in nontechnical language, an explanation of the employer's rights under this title.