Judges slam Washington's use of unaccredited school to retrain injured workers
More than a dozen Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals Court judges across Washington state have ruled against the Department of Labor and Injuries (L&I) for using an unaccredited program called Office Careers to retrain injured workers, according to a review of court records dating back to 2013.
A KING 5 investigation found the state paid millions to the online Renton-based school without proof of success. Injured workers complained they got meaningless retraining certifications, which in turn lead L&I to terminate their workers' compensation benefits, and, without appropriate skills, unable to find another job.
Of the 15 disabled workers who in the last six years appealed the state’s decision to cut their benefits after attending Office Careers, judges ruled in their favor 100% of the time. They ordered L&I to reverse the rulings and reinstate benefits in every case.
Several attorneys who have complained to L&I for years about Office Careers said the decisions should serve as glaring red flags to the state.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/judges-slam-washington-s-use-of-unaccredited-school-to-retrain-injured-workers/ar-BB10awcf?ocid=hplocalnews
