Crime Compensation

Washington has adopted a system of compensation for innocent victims of crimes, the eleventh state to do so. The principal characteristic which distinguishes the new Washington Act from other present and proposed programs is the connection between it and Industrial Insurance, more commonly known as Workmen\u27s Compensation. This connection has at least three significant consequences: (1) Because the victim is equated with an on-the-job injured employee, the amount of an individual\u27s award is geared to the amount an injured workman or dependents of a deceased workman would receive; (2) the administration of the new program is assigned to the Department of Labor and Industries; (3) the procedures for compensating crime victims, including a modified judicial review, generally will follow those procedures established for settling Industrial Insurance claims