Washington State lawmakers have reached an agreement on reform of the workers' compensation system. The deal will allow workers to resolve claims by taking periodic payments until their settlement is paid in full. Lawmakers say that will solve the problem of workers taking lump-sum payments and spending them too fast. The deal is expected to save $903 million over the next four years. Workers' compensation reform was the major obstacle for passing the state's budget.
See "Lawmakers reach likely deal on workers' comp", Andrew Garber, The Seattle Times, May 22, 2011