Washington claims administrator certification deadlines extended (again) due to COVID-19 pandemic

From a January 28, 2021, email from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries

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In view of the continuing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for social distancing, L&I is extending the expiration date for all self-insurance (SI) claims administrator certifications that are set to expire between March 20, 2020 and the end of June 30, 2021. These certifications will now expire on July 1, 2021.

L&I is also extending the effective date to July 1, 2021, from July 1, 2020, for the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) requirement change that “every person making claim decisions outside the state of Washington must be a certified claims administrator.”

These actions will provide time for certified administrators to take the test without losing their certifications and putting their jobs in jeopardy. These will also provide assurance to businesses that they won’t be penalized for not having a certified claims administrator.

WAC 296-15-350 and WAC 296-15-360 outline the requirements to have certified claims administrators in places where claims are managed, and the requirements to become a certified claims administrator by L&I.
The Self-Insurance training unit is currently looking into offering the SI certification test electronically and expects to have that option for test takers in the next few weeks.

If you have any questions, contact Kelli Zimmerman at 360-902-6904.