Workers' Compensation
The Workers' Compensation Unit (WCU), housed within the Seattle Department of Human Resources, is responsible for administering claims for potentially work-related injuries and illnesses for City of Seattle employees. The City is self-insured and self-administered. For information, contact Workers' Compensation at (206) 684-7855. Employees may also review the A Guide to Workers' Compensation Benefits for information.
What to do if an employee is injured at work
Don't delay. Claims for injuries must be filed within one year. Claims for occupational diseases must be filed within two years after receiving written notice from a health-care provider that the condition exists and may be work-related.
Report the injury or exposure to employee's supervisor as soon as possible.
The City needs to know about the employee's condition and what might have caused it. Without knowledge of the employee's work-related injury or occupational disease, the WCU may ask L&I to deny the claim. L&I will issue a decision to allow or deny a claim after reviewing all available information.
File a claim for benefits by submitting a completed "Self-Insurer Accident Report" (SIF-2) to the employee's Department, who will then send it to the WCU. The form is available from employee's supervisor/manager or Return to Work Coordinator. Since the employee must be able to show their injury or disease is job-related, the employee should file right away. Someone else may file a claim on the employee's behalf if the employee is unable to do so.
Communicate with health-care provider. Make sure the employee's health-care provider knows the injury or disease is job-related; and Completes a "Provider's Initial Report" and sends this report to the WCU. Be sure to tell the provider the City is Self-Insured and Self-Administered.
Stay in touch with employee's analyst and Return to Work Coordinator. Notify the analyst immediately if employee's address changes to avoid delays in receiving benefit checks or other correspondence.
Cooperate with all reasonable requests from employee's health-care provider, employer, and others authorized to assist in treatment and recovery.
Modified Work
Returning to work is important to the employee and the City. Depending on the severity of the injury or the type of work, the employee may have difficulty returning to their regular work right away. The employee's department probably has a lighter-duty job for the employee. To make sure the employee's department can safely return the employee to modified work please always leave the medical providers office with an updated Activity Prescription Form and immediately provide it to employee's analyst.