In the Department of Labor and Industries, this is the supervisory level of the series. Positions at this level operate as the expert in their field and serve as a resource by providing guidance on specialized, technical issues to all levels of staff including management and external stakeholders.

Coordinates, supervises and directs workers' compensation adjudicators and clerical staff assigned to a unit; Hires, conducts employee performance reviews; provides training and guidance to staff; takes corrective action where indicated;

Plans, prioritizes, assigns and evaluates the work of staff to ensure that determinations for benefits, medical and vocational rehabilitation management are consistent with current Revised Codes of Washington, Washington Administrative Codes and Department policy and procedures;

Acts as technical and professional resource to assigned staff, managers and elected officials in resolution of complex or sensitive cases involving coordination of legal, medical, and vocational rehabilitation aspects of workers' compensation claims or crime victims’ compensation claims;

Reviews and takes action on Board Industrial Insurance Appeals decisions and judgements from Superior Court, Court of Appeals and the Washington State Supreme Court.

Participates in the development of WACs, departmental policies, procedures and performance standards required for the implementation of the program;

Ensures payments are appropriate and recipients are not on the specially designated nationals and blocked list to comply with the Office of Foreign Assets Control;

Interacts with elected officials, physicians, and other medical and vocational rehabilitation providers, attorneys, employers, and injured workers, crime victims, victim advocates and others involved in the Industrial Insurance process;

Conducts and participates in interdisciplinary case conferences;

Analyzes legislation affecting workers’ compensation program; determines fiscal impacts; collaboratively develops and implements strategies to meet business and training needs due to new legislation;

Participates in the administration of the Workers’ Compensation Adjudicator 2 – Apprenticeship Program; Identifies performance deficiencies and recommends performance improvement plans to ensure compliance with the Standards of Apprenticeship approved through the Joint Apprenticeship Training Council;

Supervises the performance of workers’ compensation overall system quality reviews and the internal financial examinations of benefit payments;

Oversee day to day operations to ensure accuracy and compliance with governing laws, rules, policy and established work standards and process;

Perform the duties of the lower level in the series;

Performs other work as required.

Knowledge of: Workers' Compensation and Medical Aid Acts and other statutes, court decisions, Attorney General Opinions, Board of Industrial Appeals rulings, and departmental regulations applying to industrial accidents and occupational diseases, past and present, or disability insurance provisions of the Old Age and Survivors Insurance Act; medical terminology, human anatomy and physiology, psychiatric terms, drugs, prosthetic devices and their indications; tort law pertaining to third party actions.

Ability to: exercise mature judgment in adjudicating disability claims and counterclaims from disabled workers, physicians, employers, third parties and other persons; personally make lawful and equitable determinations regarding eligibility for benefits under the law; write clear, concise, accurate and informative correspondence and reports; establish and maintain effective customer relations and working relationships with workers, physician, employers, legal representatives, co-workers and the general public; compare past records, past and present law, rulings of the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals and higher courts, and other information to arrive at lawful and equitable decisions regarding benefit entitlements.

There may be instances where individual positions must have additional licenses or certification. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure the appropriate licenses/certifications are obtained for each position.

Persons legally authorized to work in the U.S. under federal law, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, are eligible for employment unless prohibited by other state or federal law.

Successful completion of the Department of Labor and Industries Workers’ Compensation Adjudicator 2 Apprenticeship program

One year of experience as a Workers’ Compensation Adjudicator 5.

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration or closely allied field;