Reimbursement from disaster response account for nongovernment employees.
RCW 51.16.220
in effect(1) When a worker of a nongovernment employer is injured or develops an occupational disease due to an exposure while assisting in the life and rescue phase of an emergency, in response to a request for assistance from a state or local government entity, including fire service or law enforcement, the cost of benefits shall be reimbursed from the disaster response account, RCW 38.52.105 , to the appropriate workers' compensation fund, or to the self-insured employer, as the case may be. The cost of such injuries or occupational diseases shall not be charged to the experience record of a state fund employer. (2) For the purposes of this section, "life and rescue phase" means the first seventy-two hours after the occurrence of a natural or man-made disaster in which a state or municipal entity, including fire service or law enforcement, acknowledges or declares such a disaster and requests assistance from the private sector in locating and rescuing survivors. The initial life and rescue phase may be extended for a finite period of time by declaration of the state or municipal entity requesting assistance.
(1) When a worker of a nongovernment employer is injured or develops an occupational disease due to an exposure while assisting in the life and rescue phase of an emergency, in response to a request for assistance from a state or local government entity, including fire service or law enforcement, the cost of benefits shall be reimbursed from the disaster response account, RCW 38.52.105 , to the appropriate workers' compensation fund, or to the self-insured employer, as the case may be. The cost of such injuries or occupational diseases shall not be charged to the experience record of a state fund employer.
(2) For the purposes of this section, "life and rescue phase" means the first seventy-two hours after the occurrence of a natural or man-made disaster in which a state or municipal entity, including fire service or law enforcement, acknowledges or declares such a disaster and requests assistance from the private sector in locating and rescuing survivors. The initial life and rescue phase may be extended for a finite period of time by declaration of the state or municipal entity requesting assistance.
Source: WA Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=51.16&full=trueFetched: 6/29/2026