There are 2 ways you can lose your Claim-Free Discount:

• An employee is injured on the job and misses more than three days of work, resulting in the payment of wage-replacement benefits and/or a permanent partial disability award.
• You purchase an existing company that has a history of workplace injury or disease and costly claims. That company's experience will influence your rates until those claims are outside your experience period.

Under L&I's rating system, claims that only involve medical benefits do not affect your Claim-Free Discount until you have a compensable claim where wage-replacement benefits, partial permanent disability awards, or death benefits are paid or estimated to be paid. For the 3 years that such a claim remains in your experience period, these medical-only claim costs are included in calculating your new premium rate. Because of that, one relatively inexpensive compensable claim can greatly impact your rates.

Claims only stay on your record for 3 years. When these claims drop off your experience period, and if you have had no other compensable claims, you will again qualify for the Claim-Free Discount.

Consider keeping the injured worker on salary

If one of your workers is injured, and the recovery is expected to be brief, it may be in your best interest to keep that worker on salary while he or she recovers.

Find a light-duty job

You also should consider offering any injured worker, who can do some work, a light-duty job to avoid lost wages while they recover. We will reimburse you for 50% of the worker's base wage while they are on medically approved light-duty, as well as some of the costs of training and tools necessary.

More on what we pay for, who's eligible, and how to apply:

www.StayAtWork.Lni.wa.gov

Find out more

For a better understanding of how a claim might impact your rates, call your L&I Account Manager. His or her name and phone number is on your quarterly report, or you can call 360‑902‑4817.