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Nation's Largest Retailer Agrees to Faster Payment of Comp Claims

Feb. 15, 2002

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. agrees to speed up payment of workers' compensation claims in Washington state in an effort to avoid state takeover of its workers' compensation insurance program.

EHS Today Staff

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. agreed to speed up payment of workers'' compensation claims in Washington state in an effort to avoid state takeover of its workers'' compensation insurance program. The state alleged in November 2000 that Wal-Mart was illegally denying payments to injured employees.

Under an agreement announced yesterday, Wal-Mart will hire an outside company to administer its workers'' compensation program for eight years. Wal-Mart employees approximately 9,600 workers in Washington.

"Wal-Mart has said that it wants to create a model workers compensation program here. This agreement allows that to happen,'''' said Gary Moore, director of the state Department of Labor and Industries. As part of the settlement, the company agreed to process workers'' compensation claims more quickly than other large companies and will promptly pay state-ordered awards to injured employees, even if it is appealing the decision.

A spokesman for Wal-Mart said the company was pleased with the settlement, because it allows the company to remain self-insured. Wal-Mart is one of about 400 companies in Washington that are large enough to manage their own workers'' compensation programs.

by Sandy Smith ([email protected])

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor: Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.