BILL REQ. #:  H-0383.1 

Read first time 01/24/13.   Referred to Committee on Labor & Workforce Development.

     AN ACT Relating to claim files and compensation under the industrial insurance laws; amending RCW 51.08.173; adding new sections to chapter 51.08 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 51.08 RCW to read as follows:
     "Third-party administrator" means any entity that contracts to administer workers' compensation claims for self-insured employers qualified under RCW 51.14.020 and certified pursuant to RCW 51.14.030, or provides claims administration, monitoring, or review for any employer, and is considered to be an employer representative.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 51.08 RCW to read as follows:
     "Claims management entity" means any individual designated by a self-insured employer qualified under RCW 51.14.020 and certified pursuant to RCW 51.14.030 to administer workers' compensation claims including self-administered organizations and third-party administrators, or provides claims administration, monitoring, or review for any employer, and is considered to be an employer representative.

Sec. 3   RCW 51.08.173 and 1983 c 174 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     "Self-insurer" or "self-insured employer" means an employer or group of employers which has been authorized under this title to carry its own liability to its employees covered by this title.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   This act applies to all claims open after January 1, 2014.