Senate votes to lower age to 40 for work injury settlements

OLYMPIA — The Washington state Senate has passed a bill to lower the age at which an injured worker can settle a claim from 53 to 40.

The chamber passed Senate Bill 5513 on a 28-21 vote Tuesday after debate on whether the bill does enough to protect workers whose disabilities later make them unable to find work. The bill’s proponents said lowering the age to accept a structured settlement will give injured workers more options to take control of their futures.

Under the current system, the age at which a worker can settle out of a worker’s compensation claim was initially set at 55 and has since moved to 53 on its way to a target age of 50 by 2016. The bill, which goes next to the House, would change the age to 40 later this year.