Business Insurance
Required for most employers. Different in each state.
Oregon and Washington run workers’ compensation very differently. If you have staff on both sides of the Columbia, they are two separate problems.
Why An Independent Agent
It is not optional, and the rules differ by state.
Workers’ compensation pays for medical care and lost wages when an employee gets hurt or sick because of their job. In exchange, it limits how much the employer can be sued for. Most Oregon employers need it once they have even one employee. Washington runs its own state-fund system, and the rules work differently there.
Coverage
What we commonly place
Not every item applies to every situation. Part of our job is telling you which ones actually matter for you.
- Medical treatment for work-related injury and illness
- Temporary and permanent disability benefits
- Wage replacement
- Vocational rehabilitation
- Death and survivor benefits
- Employer’s liability coverage
- Return-to-work program support
- Classification code review
- Experience modification review
- Multi-state coordination
In Detail
The parts worth understanding
Oregon employers generally must carry workers’ compensation once they have a single employee, with narrow exemptions for certain owners, corporate officers and some family arrangements.
Coverage is bought from private carriers, which means it can be shopped, and it should be. Oregon also levies a separate Workers’ Benefit Fund assessment, which is not part of your premium but is part of your obligation.
The exemptions are narrower than most owners assume. Confirm rather than infer.
Washington is one of a small number of monopolistic states. Workers’ compensation is bought from the state fund (L&I) rather than from a private carrier, unless the employer is approved to self-insure.
Two practical consequences. First, you cannot shop the rate the way you can in Oregon. Second, and this is the one that causes real trouble, a standard commercial policy will not include Washington workers’ compensation, and the employer’s liability component still needs arranging separately, often via a stop-gap endorsement.
Two things drive your premium more than anything else.
Classification codes describe what your employees actually do. Misclassification is common and expensive in both directions. It either overcharges you for years or produces a large audit bill.
Your experience modification factor compares your claims history to businesses like yours. Below 1.0 lowers your premium; above raises it. Both are worth reviewing, and both are things we check when we take on a commercial client.
Workers’ compensation has the shortest and least forgiving reporting deadlines of anything we handle, and they are set by state law rather than by the carrier.
Get the employee medical attention, complete the required report promptly, keep your own record of what happened and who witnessed it, and stay in contact with the employee. Late reporting increases claim cost and can create penalties for the employer.
Local Knowledge
Employers on both sides of the Columbia.
Many Portland-area businesses have staff working in both Oregon and Washington. The two systems work in completely different ways, private carriers versus a state fund, so this is never just one policy with two addresses on it. It needs to be handled on purpose, and it is a common way businesses accidentally break the rules.
Talk to us first. Washington coverage comes from the state fund, and Oregon coverage is shopped from private carriers. Tell us exactly where your employees physically work before you assume one policy covers you in both states.
Lisa and Keith answer the phone here. No call center, no robots. Just North Portland neighbors helping neighbors.
The Process
Is this difficult? Not with us.
Tell us about your situation
A few quick details about what you are insuring and what you have now.
We compare carriers
We shop multiple companies to find the best combination of coverage and price.
You get a clear recommendation
Straight answers, in plain language, and often same-day coverage.
Questions
Workers’ compensation questions
Do I need workers' compensation in Oregon?
Most Oregon employers with even one employee must carry it, with narrow exemptions for certain owners and corporate officers. Confirm rather than assume.
How does Washington workers' compensation differ?
Washington is a monopolistic state fund system: coverage comes from L&I rather than a private carrier, and employer's liability generally needs arranging separately.
What is an experience modification factor?
A multiplier comparing your claims history to similar businesses. Below 1.0 reduces your premium and above increases it. It is worth reviewing for errors.
Can I classify workers as contractors to avoid coverage?
Misclassification is a serious and actively enforced issue in both states. Whether someone is an employee is set by the working relationship, not by the label on the invoice.
What happens if an employee is injured?
Get them medical care, then file the required report promptly. Workers' compensation reporting deadlines are set by state law and are short.
Related coverage
Get your free workers’ compensation quote.
We respond the same day whenever possible.