L&I Workers' Compensation Adjudicator 5 - Penalty Adjudicator

Full Job Description

Our Mission: Keep Washington Safe and Working!
Our Values: Customer Focus, One L&I, Respect, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Learning and Growth, Reliability

Please Note: This position is open to L&I employees only.

Job Highlights

The Department of Labor and Industries’ Self-Insurance Program is seeking a Workers’ Compensation Adjudicator 5 (WCA5) to join our team.

You’ll support the agency’s mission by assessing and enforcing compliance of the RCWs and WACs governing Self Insured Employers and Third-Party Administrators’ administering workers’ compensation benefits to employees injured on the job.

This opportunity will require the incumbent to review recommendations from internal and external parties to determine appropriateness of the assessment or denial of penalty against Self-Insured employers per statutes and rules.

The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) is a diverse state agency dedicated to the safety, health, and security of Washington's workers.

We help employers meet safety and health standards and inspect workplaces when alerted to hazards.

As administrators of the state's workers' compensation system, we are similar to a large insurance company, providing medical and limited wage-replacement coverage to workers who suffer job-related injuries and illness.

Our rules and enforcement programs also help ensure workers are paid what they are owed, that children's and teens' work hours are limited, and that consumers are protected from unsound business practices.

Insurance Services is the largest division within the agency and administers one of the premier workers’ compensation organizations in the nation serving over 3.8 million employees working for 260,000 employers.

Requirements

Some of what you’ll do:

• Interprets facts and applies laws and rules when determining assessments of penalties on violations.
• Manages a caseload of work item request by reviewing, adjudicating and assuring decisions are made within management expectations.
• Assigns, tracks, and reviews recommendations from level 3, 4 and 5 adjudicators.
• Reviews requests for Willful Misrepresentation sent to the department by Self-Insured employers.
• Testify on facts regarding department actions for all penalty appeals at the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals (BIIA).
• Give Depositions on penalty decisions for specific claims.
• Communicate at other judicially related activities as related to adjudicative level claim decisions.
• Occasionally speak publicly regarding penalties and related compliance activities.
• Participate in legislative activities including bill analyses and rule-making.
• And much more!

Qualifications

Required:

Successful completion of the Department of Labor and Industries Workers’ Compensation Adjudicator 2 Apprenticeship program.

AND

One year of experience as a Workers’ Compensation Adjudicator 4.

OR

Bachelor’s degree

AND

Four years of experience in adjudicating workers’ or crime victims’ compensation insurance claims, or adjudication of time loss payments.

OR

Equivalent education/experience.

**Additional experience working with insurance claims, claims/insurance adjusting, claims investigations, disability management, claims risk management/loss control, medical billing, medical insurance, paralegal personal injury services or paramedical occupations will substitute, year for year, for required education.

AND

The ability to take action to learn and grow.

The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Desired:

Four years of experience in adjudication of workers’ claims with the Department of Labor and Industries, to include one year of experience as a Workers’ Compensation Adjudicator 4

Additional Information

Things You Need To Know

To help you maintain a proper work-life balance, teleworking is one of the work schedule options for this position. L&I also offers flexible custom work schedules.

State employees who meet the qualifications will become eligible for a generous retirement package at the end of the employee’s career. Click on the “Benefits” tab to learn more.

At L&I, your voice matters. In addition, L&I is a diverse state agency dedicated to the safety and health and security of Washington's 3.8 million workers. Take a look at this brief video and learn more about why L&I is an employer of choice.

For this position, telework is dependent on business needs and supervisor approval. The assigned duty station for this position is Tumwater, Washington.

For positions where in-office work is necessary, the frequency of telework will be discussed with the supervisor of the position at the time of offer.

To receive more information on opportunities at L&I sign up for GovDelivery and select L&I job alerts.

Application process

We will contact the top candidates directly to interview for this position.

Because we base the selection on information provided by you, it is in your best interest to identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities that address the required and desirable qualifications described in the announcement.

Please include the following documents with your application:

Please do not attach or place any medical information (vaccination status included) within the application, resume, or cover letter.

If you do, we will have to reject your application to safeguard others from receiving your confidential information. You will have to remove the confidential information before you can apply again.

To learn more about our hiring process timeline at L&I please visit our L&I recruiting page at Hiring Process at L&I. If you would like to read our website in a language other than English, scroll up to the top of the page to select your language of choice from the banner.

Background Check Notice:

Prior to a placement in this position, a background check, including criminal history record will be conducted. Information from your background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining your eligibility to perform the requirements of the position.

Other information

Did You Know?

Washington is America's Top State to live, play, and work, according to U.S. News (2021). Join the L&I team and enjoy all the Evergreen State has to offer.

In addition to offering a positive balance between life and work, L&I provides one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation. We also believe your voice matters.

We value our employees and their work-life balance by encouraging flexible schedules. L&I is a diverse state agency dedicated to the safety and health and security of Washington's 3.8 million workers.

Veterans Preference

Applicants wishing to claim Veterans Preference should attach to their application a copy of their DD-214 (Member 4 copy), NGB 22, or signed verification of service letter from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

Please blackout any personally identifiable data such as Social Security numbers. For further information, contact L&I’s Jobs@lni.wa.gov.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Employer

L&I employees come from all walks of life. We strive to hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

We believe in the importance of recognizing the value each of us contribute to the success of the agency mission.

Having a diverse workforce is this agency’s greatest resource of strength and knowledge.

It is through the combination of talents and abilities that we can pursue finding effective measures to provide the best customer service.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace for everyone and we strongly mean everyone.

The State of Washington is an equal opportunity employer.

Persons with a disability who need accommodation in the application process or testing process, or those needing this announcement in an alternative format, may call 360-902-5700.

TTY users should first call 711 to access the Washington Relay Service.

You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials and we will honor this as you interact with our award-winning diverse and inclusive organization.

For more Information

If you have any questions regarding this job posting, program, or the agency, please contact Jacque Crawford HRBTU@lni.wa.gov. #LI DNI