SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 5932
As of January 29, 2024
Title: An act relating to reducing the number of days that a worker's temporary total disability must continue to receive industrial insurance compensation for the day of an injury and the three-day period following the injury.
Brief Description: Reducing the number of days that a worker's temporary total disability must continue to receive industrial insurance compensation for the day of an injury and the three-day period following the injury.
Sponsors: Senators Stanford, Hasegawa, Keiser and Nobles.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Labor & Commerce: 1/30/24.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Reduces the number of days from fourteen to seven that a temporary total disability must continue to receive workers' compensation time-loss benefits for the first three days following the injury.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR & COMMERCE
Staff: Susan Jones (786-7404)
Background:

Workers who are injured or disabled in the course of employment are entitled to certain benefits through the workers' compensation program, which is administered by the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I). Benefits may include medical costs, temporary wage replacement, vocational rehabilitation benefits, and permanent disabilities benefits.

A worker may be entitled to a partial replacement of wages, also referred to as time-loss compensation, if the worker is temporarily unable to work as a result of an occupational injury or disease.  In order to qualify for time-loss compensation, a health care provider must certify that the worker is unable to work due to a work-related injury or illness, also referred to as a temporary total disability.

Time-loss compensation is paid to a worker only if the worker is unable to work for more than three days following the date of the injury.  Further, the worker does not receive time-loss compensation for those first three days unless they are still unable to work on the fourteenth day following the injury.

The amount of time-loss compensation is a percentage of the worker's typical wages, adjusted based on the worker's family status and number of dependents and subject to minimum and maximum amounts.
Summary of Bill:

The number of days that a temporary total disability must continue to receive workers' compensation time-loss benefits for the first three days following the injury is reduced to seven days.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 25, 2024.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: The bill contains several effective dates. Please refer to the bill.