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★ Washington · workplace

Workplace settlements
in Washington.

By Reviewed by Abd Shanti, Founder9 min read

Washington pays time loss by the month, and for injuries since July 1996 the maximum rose to $9,981.00 on 1 July 2026. Coverage can reach beyond the job site: an out of state foreman hit by a car on a Sunday was covered, and an apple picker’s closed claim was reopened.

Facts that decide a workplace claim in Washington

Maximum time loss$9,981.00 a month from 1 July 2026 for injuries since 1 July 1996 (120 percent of the state average wage), up from $9,516.00.Department of Labor and Industries, maximum time loss rates
Traveling employeesA worker traveling for the job can be covered for reasonable activities away from work, such as crossing a street near the hotel.Ball-Foster Glass Container Co. v. Giovanelli (Wash. 2008)
Deadline to sueThree years for an action for “any other injury to the person or rights of another.”RCW 4.16.080(2)
united states · sister site
Your workplace claim in Washington. See the number for your own case.

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★ WA · reported workplace outcomes

What Washington courts have awarded.

Real Washington decisions and verdicts, each linked to the court record or official report.

  • Ball-Foster Glass Container Co. v. Giovanelli
    Supreme Court of Washington · 2008
    Claim allowed, affirmed

    Alfred Giovanelli, a Pennsylvania firebrick mason working as crew foreman on a glass furnace rebuild in Seattle, was not scheduled to work on Sunday, 12 August 2001. Walking across the street from his hotel toward a park, he was hit by a car and suffered multiple fractures, degloving injuries and a head injury that left him permanently blind. Every level, from the Department to the Supreme Court, held him covered under the traveling employee doctrine.

  • Barreto Garcia v. Stemilt Growers
    Washington Court of Appeals · 2022
    Claim reopened, affirmed

    Rafael Barreto Garcia fell from an orchard ladder while picking apples in 2016, hit his chest on a branch and went into cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital, spending eight days in a coma. The Department closed his claim in 2018. The court held a condition is not fixed and stable if a marked change can be expected with or without treatment, affirmed the reopening and awarded him attorney fees.

★ WA · workplace · in practice

What changes the number here.

What actually moves a workplace settlement in Washington.

  1. 1

    Travel for work widens coverage. Giovanelli was covered on a day off because the job put him in Seattle.

  2. 2

    Challenge an early closure. Barreto Garcia’s claim was reopened because his heart condition was not fixed and stable.

  3. 3

    Benefits are monthly in Washington, so compare your wage to the monthly maximum, not a weekly one.

★ WA · statute of limitations
3 years from date of injury

RCW § 4.16.080

★ WA · fault rule
Pure comparative negligence

Pure comparative negligence under RCW 4.22.005.

★ workplace · same region & fault regime

Compare to like jurisdictions.

How Washington's fault rule and limitation period compare to jurisdictions in the same US region and to those running the same fault rule for workplace claims.

JurisdictionFault ruleLimitationWorkplace page
Washington · you are herePure comparative negligence3 years from date of injury—
WyomingModified comparative, 51% bar4 years from date of injuryWY · workplace →
AlaskaPure comparative negligence2 years from date of injury or discoveryAK · workplace →
CaliforniaPure comparative negligence2 years for personal injury; 1 year for medical malpractice (with 3-year repose)CA · workplace →
ColoradoModified comparative, 50% bar2 years for personal injury; 3 years for motor vehicleCO · workplace →
HawaiiModified comparative, 51% bar2 years from date of injuryHI · workplace →
IdahoModified comparative, 50% bar2 years from date of injuryID · workplace →
ArizonaPure comparative negligence2 years from date of injuryAZ · workplace →
KentuckyPure comparative negligence1 year for personal injury (one of the shortest in the US)KY · workplace →
MississippiPure comparative negligence3 years from date of injuryMS · workplace →
MissouriPure comparative negligence5 years for personal injury; 2 years for medical malpracticeMO · workplace →
West VirginiaModified comparative, 51% bar2 years from date of injuryWV · workplace →
WisconsinModified comparative, 51% bar3 years from date of injuryWI · workplace →
★ WA · workplace · frequently asked

Common questions.

Each answer is independently coherent and references the relevant statute or authority document.

united states · sister site
Hurt at work in Washington? See what your own claim could be worth.

FairSettlement, our US sister site, gives you a free estimate in about two minutes. No cost and no obligation.

Check my case

Sources

Checked 2026-09-29.

★ all of WA
Washington overview

Fault rule, statute, caps, and key facts for Washington as a whole.

★ national frame
Workplace in United States

Workplace band structure and severity tiers at the US level.

★ all 15 countries
Workplace · everywhere

Cross-jurisdiction comparison of workplace bands.

★ editorial note

Figures on this page are not quotes for any specific case. For representation, consult an attorney admitted in Washington. See /methodology, /sources, and /disclaimer.