Injured Spokane workers will get faster results on insurance claims in the future when the Washington Department of Labor & Industries opens a claims office in Spokane, the agency director said Thursday.

Mark Brown said about five people are moving from L&I’s headquarters in Tumwater, Wash., to Spokane to handle medical and disability claims on workers’ compensation insurance. The office could expand in the future as L&I decentralizes its claims operations.

“I want our people to understand what agriculture means in the Palouse, and logging means in Grays Harbor,” said Brown, who was in Spokane to speak to the Washington State Building Construction Trades Council. “And God forbid that a worker would actually meet a claims manager.”

Labor and business groups in the past have criticized L&I for being too slow and insensitive to insurance claims.

Brown said he expects to eventually deploy 200 of the 500 people in Tumwater who work on insurance claims into field offices.

, DataTimes