Wage Subsidies in Washington

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The Basics on Wage Subsidies

To further encourage employers to maintain the employment of their injured workers, a State of Washington employer insured with the department that offers work to a worker receiving temporary partial disability benefits shall be eligible for reimbursement of the injured worker's wages for light duty or transitional work equal to 50 percent of the basic, gross wages paid for that work, for a maximum of 66 workdays within a consecutive 24-month period.

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$10,000 Cap

In no event may the wage subsidies paid to an employer on a claim exceed $10,000. Wage subsidies shall be calculated using the worker's basic hourly wages or basic salary, and no subsidy shall be paid for any other form of compensation or payment to the worker such as tips, commissions, bonuses, board, housing, fuel, health care, dental care, vision care, per diem, reimbursements for work-related expenses, or any other payments. An employer may not, under any circumstances, receive a wage subsidy for a day in which the worker did not actually perform any work, regardless of whether or not the employer paid the worker wages for that day.

66 Days

An employer may offer work to a worker more than once, but in no event may the employer receive wage subsidies for more than 66 days of work in a consecutive 24-month period under one claim. An employer may continue to offer work after the worker has performed 66 days of work, but the employer shall not be eligible to receive wage subsidies for such work.

Forms

An employer shall not receive any wage subsidies or reimbursement of any expenses unless the employer has completed and submitted the reimbursement request on forms developed by the department, along with all related information required by department rules. No wage subsidy or reimbursement shall be paid to an employer who fails to submit a form for such payment within one year of the date the work was performed. In no event shall an employer receive wage subsidy payments or reimbursements of any expenses unless the worker's physician or licensed advanced registered nurse practitioner has restricted him or her from performing his or her usual work and the worker's physician or licensed advanced registered nurse practitioner has released him or her to perform the work offered.

Approved Work Only

Once the worker returns to work, she shall not be assigned by the employer to work other than the available work described without the worker's written consent, or without prior review and approval by the worker's physician or licensed advanced registered nurse practitioner. An employer who directs a claimant to perform work other than that approved by the attending physician and without the approval of the worker's physician or licensed advanced registered nurse practitioner shall not receive any wage subsidy or other reimbursements for such work.

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