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Retro freeze is on the way

Our construction and transportation clients have an important date coming – April 2 is the freeze date for the following Approach retros:

  • PITB Transportation
  • SMART A Team
  • SMART Dream Team

What’s a Freeze Date?

It’s the day that L&I captures all of the claim costs for your Retro group, in order to calculate if any retro refund is due.

Learn more in our Washington workers’ comp freeze dates explained


We last reminded you about Freeze Date in December. Suddenly, there are just 33 business days remaining, so it’s time to put the finishing touches on our combined efforts. Remember, the lower the claims costs at Freeze, the bigger the potential refund for you and your Retro group.

So far, we’ve been working with employers to:

  • Get all injured employees back on the job in a light-duty position that’s within the restrictions listed on the Activity Prescription Form
  • Submit light-duty job descriptions to attending providers for approval
  • Extend formal, written job offers to injured employees
  • Pursue claim closure with closing rating examinations

Light-Duty and COVID-19

One piece of good news is that any COVID-19 claims won’t affect your rates or refunds.

But, most claims aren’t related to COVID-19. Those claims can cost you money, no matter if they were filed before or during the pandemic.

It’s more important than ever to bring your injured employees back to work on a temporary or permanent basis, so that your workers’ comp costs are as low as possible while your business manages the impacts of COVID-19.


Need help navigating light-duty and COVID-19?

Register for our online Brain Trust

COVID-19 Light Duty Accomodations

Online, Thursday, February 18 at 10 a.m.


Claim closure checklist for April

The clock is really ticking now, especially with most L&I employees having an additional furlough day this month. Here are the top three items to check on as we get to the April 2 retro freeze:

  1. Has the L&I claim file been documented to showcase the return-to-work status?
  2. Have overpayments for time-loss or other indemnity costs been documented?
  3. Do the reserves reflect the most accurate claim status?

Be sure to contact your Approach retro coordinator right away if anything changes in the status of your injured employee. It’s critical that we get the claim file updated promptly so that we’re in the best possible position for Freeze.