Salary : $69,240.00 - $93,288.00 Annually
Location : Thurston County - Tumwater, WA
Job Type: Agency Internal - Permanent
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number:
Department: Dept. of Labor & Industries
Division: Insurance Services - Self Insurance
Opening Date: 08/05/2026
Closing Date: 8/18/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
Salary Information: The high end of the salary range, Step M is typically a longevity step

Description
Are you an individual who is detail-oriented, able to effectively prioritize, track, assign, and review recommendations, according to our state's administrative rules and laws?

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.

L&I's Self-Insurance Program is dedicated to supporting employers and protecting workers by providing impartial oversight and timely, expert services to the self-insured community.

Duties
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 requests 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.

Professional designation as a Self-Insurance Certified Claims Administrator or the ability to obtain the certification within 6 months.

Experience working in the Self-Insurance Program and with self-insurance rules and regulations.

Experience in overseeing or managing self-insured claims in Washington State.

Supplemental 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.

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:

1. A describing specific qualifications.
2. A current detailing applicable experience and education.
3. A list of at least three professional references with current telephone numbers.

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 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.

Other information

• For positions requiring travel, you must have a valid unrestricted driver's license and have insurance if driving a privately owned vehicle on state business.
• This position is represented bytheWashington Federation of State Employees (WFSE).
• Candidates who are offered a job with L&I must possess work authorization that does not require sponsorship by the employer for a visa now or in the future.
• Please note: L&I may use this announcement to fill multiple permanent and/or non-permanent positions.

Did You Know?

Washington is 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.

For more Information

If you have any questions regarding this job posting, program, or the agency, please contact Jacque Crawford #LI DNI
More than Just a Paycheck!
Employee benefits are not just about the kind of services you get, they are also about how much you may have to pay out of pocket. Washington State offers one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation.

We understand that your life revolves around more than just your career. Like everyone, your first priority is ensuring that you and your family will maintain health and financial security. That's why choice is a key component of our benefits package. We have a selection of health and retirement plans, paid leave, staff training and other compensation benefits that you can mix and match to meet your current and future needs.

Read about our benefits:
The following information describes typical benefits available for full-time employees who are expected to work more than six months. Actual benefits may vary by appointment type or be prorated for other than full-time work (e.g. part-time); view the job posting for benefits details for job types other than full-time.

Note: If the position offers benefits which differ from the following, the job posting should include the specific benefits.

Insurance Benefits
Employees and their families are covered by medical (including vision), dental and basic life insurance. There are multiple medical plans with affordable monthly premiums that offer coverage throughout the state.

Staff are eligible to enroll each year in a medical flexible spending account which enables them to use tax-deferred dollars toward their health care expenses. Employees are also covered by basic life and long-term disability insurance, with the option to purchase additional coverage amounts.

To view premium rates, coverage choice in your area and how to enroll, please visit the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) website. The Washington Wellness program from the Health Care Authority works with PEBB to support our workplace wellness programs.

Dependent care assistance allows the employee to save pre-tax dollars for a child or elder care expenses.

Other insurance coverage for auto, boat, home, and renter insurance is available through payroll deduction.

The Washington State Employee Assistance Program promotes the health and well-being of employees.

Retirement and Deferred Compensation
State Employees are members of the Washington Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS). New employees have the option of two employer contributed retirement programs. For additional information, check out the Department of Retirement Systems' web site.

Employees also have the ability to participate in the Deferred Compensation Program (DCP). This is a supplemental retirement savings program (similar to an IRA) that allows you control over the amount of pre-tax salary dollars you defer as well as the flexibility to choose between multiple investment options.

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