H-2253 _______________________________________________
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 712
_______________________________________________
State of Washington 49th Legislature 1985 Regular Session
By House Committee on Commerce & Labor (originally sponsored byRepresentative Sutherland)
Read first time 3/8/85 and passed to Committee on Rules.
AN ACT Relating to labor and industries; and amending RCW 51.28.070.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. Section 51.28.070, chapter 23, Laws of 1961 as last amended by section 36, chapter 350, Laws of 1977 ex. sess. and RCW 51.28.070 are each amended to read as follows:
Information
contained in the claim files and records of injured workers, under the
provisions of this title, shall be deemed confidential and shall not be open to
public inspection (other than to public employees in the performance of their
official duties), but representatives of a claimant, be it an individual or an
organization, may review a claim file or receive specific information therefrom
upon the presentation of the signed authorization of the claimant. A
claimant may review his or her claim file if the director determines, pursuant
to criteria adopted by rule, that such review is in the claimant's interest.
Employers or their duly authorized representatives may review any files of
their own injured workers in connection with any pending claims. Physicians
treating or examining workers claiming benefits under this title, or physicians
giving medical advice to the department regarding any claim may, at the
discretion of the department, inspect the claim files and records of injured
workers, and other persons may make such inspection, at the ((departments))
department's discretion, when such persons are rendering assistance to
the department at any stage of the proceedings on any matter pertaining to the
administration of this title.