WSR 18-09-075
PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY
DEPARTMENT OF
LABOR AND INDUSTRIES
[Filed April 17, 2018, 10:54 a.m.]
Subject of Possible Rule Making: Chapter 296-15 WAC, Workers' compensation self-insurance rules and regulations.
Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 51.04.20 [51.04.020] and 51.32.190.
Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: Existing rules are outdated, and have been a point of concern for both business and labor. An advisory workgroup of business and labor representatives has worked with the department to formulate modernized rule concepts for consideration by the broader communities.
Key objectives of this rule-making effort:
Better communication to workers.
Greater certainty for employers.
Reduced readjudication and strengthened regulation by the department of labor and industries that better aligns with statutory mandates.
Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: No other state, local, or federal agency regulates this subject.
Process for Developing New Rule: The department of labor and industries will work collaboratively with representatives of the labor and self-insured employer communities throughout all phases of this rule-making process. A public hearing will be held after the proposal is filed.
Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting James Nylander, Self-Insurance Program Manager, P.O. Box 44890, Olympia, WA 98504-4890, phone 360-902-6907, fax 360-902-6977, email James.Nylander@lni.wa.gov.
April 17, 2018
Joel Sacks
Director