Title 51 RCW / BIIA
Legal Support
We represent your interests at the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals when an injured worker appeals a Department of Labor & Industries decision, and we stay involved from mediation through hearing.
What this is, and what it is not
BridgeMark is not a law firm and does not practice law. What we do is represent the employer's interests through the Washington L&I appeal process itself: when a worker appeals a Department decision to the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals, we are the party at the table for the employer, from the mediation conference through the hearing. We also read Department orders as they are issued and protest the ones we believe are wrong, before an appeal is even filed. The distinction matters. A protest and an appeal are steps inside the L&I system, not a lawsuit, and representing an employer's interests inside that system is exactly the work we do.
Where licensed counsel takes over
Some matters that surface inside a claim, an employer liability question that could expose the business beyond the claim itself, a dispute that moves outside BIIA and into court, genuinely need a licensed attorney, and we say so plainly rather than stretching what we do to cover it. Our job is to make sure the L&I and BIIA side of the claim is handled correctly and represented well. When a matter needs a lawyer, it needs a lawyer, and we would rather tell you that early than pretend otherwise.
BridgeMark — Washington State only. We represent employers, not insurers and not claimants. Call 253-293-8878.
Orders under protestWhat we read, and what we push back on, before it becomes an appeal.
The order types we review and protest
A Department order can go wrong in more than one direction, and each direction has its own consequence for the employer. We review orders as they come in and protest the ones that look unsupported by the record, rather than waiting for the worker to appeal first. The categories below are the ones most likely to affect what a claim costs the employer over its life. Any specific deadline, filing requirement or fee attached to a protest or appeal is set by the Department and the Board, changes claim to claim, and is worth confirming directly rather than assuming from this page.
Threshold orderClaim allowanceWhether the claim should have been allowed at all, and on what basis.
Wage replacementTime lossWhether time loss compensation is being paid correctly, and for how long.
TreatmentMedical treatmentWhether the treatment being authorized and paid for is related to the accepted condition.
AwardPermanent partial disabilityWhether a PPD award is supported by the medical record it is drawn from.
ExposureEmployer liabilityWhether liability for a claim's cost sits correctly with the employer's own account.
Rate basisWage ordersWhether the wage figure a benefit is calculated from is the correct one.