Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-12-24
in the Tacoma Tribune.)

ILLS ucSllStuCe, uOL the SIdte.
That the law is defective in safe
guarding the state finances is largely
due to the log-rolling proclivities of
the members of the legislature, and
to their doors the blame can be laid
directly.
When the act under which the COM
mission was created was first pre-
sented to the legislature as the Teats'
act, members of the legislature, Of
the session Of 1911, caucused and
voted to defeat any attempt made to
amend the bill. The progressive mem
bers stood solidly in caucus, attended
by 81 legislators, to fight any pro-
posed amendment. They did. All at
tempts to amend the bill, except in
most unimportant features, were de-
feated. One Of the amendments pro-
posed called for the bonding of the
commissioners. This was defeated.
Every attempt to amend was either
defeated by an earnest" vote or by
a vote obtained by clog rolling"
COMMISSIONER Statement.
The present commissioners have
issued a statement addressed to the
employers Of the state who have bust
ness with the industrial insurance de-
partment, pointing out the Office rou-
tine and explaining what steps have
been taken since the expose Of the
fraudulent claims, to safeguard the
state funds. The statement says:
with the present system Of hand
ling claims through the Office of the
industrial insurance commission the
following plan has been pursued:
'In order for a claim to be consid-
cred and passed it Is necessary to
have a statement from the injured
workman, one from the employer and
a report by the attending physician.
All the mail is opened at the secre-
tary's table, there sorted for the va
rious departments. All reports per-
tanning to claims then 90 to the index
clerk, who indexes them and gives
the claim q number. They then 60 to
the assembly department where they
are all assembled in q separate hle
and into which all papers pertaining
to this claim are placed. A postal
card notice is sent to the injured
workman acknowledging receipt OF
his claim and giving him the number
of his claim 30 that in all correspond
ence he may use this number and all
and future reports
pertaining to this claim finds its way
as it comes into the office, to this par
ticular file.
"As soon as the report of the at
tending physician is received 1t is
turned over to the chief medical ad-
wiser for scrutiny. The doctor places
his initial upon this report and It is.
returned to the assembly department.
After the claim is assembled 1t goes
to the claim desk, where all claims
which are to be finaled are figured by
the assistant claim agent, then passed
to the chief claim agent for check and
veriflcation. Where the temporary
disability covers period OF more
than a month or claims where there
is any permanent partial disability
they are passed to the chief medical
adviser for rating and q further fol-
lowing up of the claim. The claims
for which monthly payments are
made are always marked up for pay
ment by the chief medical adviser and
when recovery is complete or where
the permanent partial disability has
been rated by the doctor, the claim is
then referred back to the claim de-
partment and figured for final settle
ment.
"A summary sheet containing the
essential information is placed on the
top of the claim file and O.-K.'d by
the claim agent and his assistant. The
claims then 60 to a stenographer who
lists them to the commission, making
four copies-one for the minute book.
one for the statistician, one for filing
in the claim department, and one for
the charge clerk. This last named
clerk has a book with all the claims
consecutively numbered and is able
to locate the whereabouts of the files,
in the doctors Office, in the hands of
the commissioners or in other active
work of the department. A glance
at this book can tell where the claim
is at any time.
These claims usually come to the
commission in large numbers and the
summary sheet should show the COM
missioners the information necessary
for passing upon them. These are
separately approved by at least one
commissioner, afterwards approved by
Tho ortiro coyp ~, cciOu In oyocufivo