H-4114.1  _______________________________________________

 

                          HOUSE BILL 2724

          _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1996 Regular Session

 

By Representatives McMorris, Cole and Costa

 

Read first time 01/17/96.  Referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.

 

Providing for payment of job modification or accommodation costs for injured workers.



    AN ACT Relating to payment of job modification or accommodation costs for injured workers; and amending RCW 51.32.250.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

 

    Sec. 1.  RCW 51.32.250 and 1988 c 161 s 10 are each amended to read as follows:

    ((Modification of the injured worker's previous job or modification of a new job is recognized as a desirable method of returning the injured worker to gainful employment.  In order to assist employers in meeting the costs of job modification, and to encourage employers to modify jobs to accommodate retaining or hiring workers with disabilities resulting from work-related injury, the supervisor or the supervisor's designee, in his or her discretion, may pay job modification costs in an amount not to exceed five thousand dollars per worker per job modification.  This payment is intended to be a cooperative participation with the employer and funds shall be taken from the appropriate account within the second injury fund.)) (1) The director or the director's designee, in his or her discretion, may pay, from the appropriate account within the second injury fund, costs associated with:  (a) Job modifications at an injured worker's previous or new place of employment; (b) accommodations for an injured worker at retraining facilities; and (c) accommodations necessary for an effective job search by an injured worker.  The payments shall not exceed five thousand dollars per worker per modification or accommodation.

    (2) The benefits provided for in this section are available to any otherwise eligible worker regardless of the date of industrial injury.

 


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