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Free seminars set on ‘structured settlements’ for injured workers

Last year, lawmakers in Olympia dramatically changed Washington’s workers’ compensation system. The biggest change was the legalization of “structured settlements,” also known as compromise-and-release buyouts, whereby employers can negotiate with injured workers to pay a series of lump-sum payments to settle claims.

Although organized labor aggressively opposed this change, it has become the law. Therefore, it is in the interests of union organizations to learn how this new system will work in order to best preserve the rights and protect the interests of workers injured on the job.

The Washington State Labor Council and the Project Help program will present two free seminars in January to explain the dramatic changes and answer questions about structured settlements. The seminars will feature presentations from various perspectives will give you an overall picture of the new structured settlement options, including from:

  • Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
  • Self-Insured Ombudsman’s office
  • Department of Labor and Industries
  • Board of Industrial Insurance
  • Washington State Association for Justice
  • Project Help

The seminars will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.:

UPDATE! — The Friday, Jan. 20 session in Spokane has been POSTPONED due to inclement weather and hazardous travel conditions. It will be rescheduled. Stay tuned for details.

Friday, Jan. 27 in OLYMPIA at the WSLC’s Davis-Williams Building, 906 Columbia St. SW

Due to limited space, registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. So the time to sign up is NOW! Please call Karen White at 206-281-8901 ext. 14 or email her at kwhite@wslc.org to register. You must indicate which of the two seminars you want to attend, and provide the names, union organizations, mailing addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers for each attendee.

The Project Help Program is a cooperative effort between the WSLC, the state’s business community, and the Department of Labor and Industries with the goal of facilitating early and successful resolution of workers’ compensation claims. Learn more here.

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