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L&I Workers’ Compensation For Finger Injuries In Washington

Last updated on September 21, 2026

If you damaged a finger in an accident on the job, you could get workers’ compensation benefits to pay your medical bills and lost wages.

Fingers are the most often injured body parts in workplace accidents, said the Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), which runs the state’s workers’ comp program.

In a single recent year, workers in Washington made 15,650 finger injury claims, L&I said.

Finger injuries are scary when they happen. And they leave you with medical costs and lost work time.

Workers’ comp benefits help you put this traumatic incident behind you.

The workers’ comp attorneys at Bothwell Hamill & Sutton, PLLC can make sure you’re getting all the benefits you qualify for.

We help hardworking people in Yakima, Kennewick, Sunnyside, Spokane, Richland, Ellensburg, Wenatchee, Walla Walla and across central Washington.

Permanent Partial Disability And Finger Injury Workers’ Comp

A common type of workers’ compensation benefit for a finger injury is permanent partial disability (PPD) payment.

Often, you’ll be able to return to work after a finger injury. However, a permanent injury, like the loss or partial loss of a finger, could impact the amount and type of work you can do.

With PPD benefits, once you’ve healed from the initial trauma of the injury as much as possible, a doctor gives their opinion of a percentage of long-term impairment caused by the injury.

As your ongoing workers’ comp lost wages benefits come to an end, L&I uses that rating and its own scale to set a final award amount to pay you.

An experienced workers’ compensation lawyer can help make sure you get an impairment rating — and therefore compensation level — that’s fair.

L&I or another workers’ comp insurance administrator could request that you get an independent medical examination (IME) from a doctor of their choice to determine your PPD rating.

But it’s important that the attending physician who’s been helping you recover all along also has a say in this.

Get a Bothwell Hamill & Sutton, PLLC L&I attorney to look at your options, for free.

L&I PPD Payouts For Finger Amputations And Crushing Injuries In Washington

Washington law uses a fixed schedule to calculate permanent partial disability (PPD) awards for certain finger amputations. RCW 51.32.080 assigns different values based on the finger involved and the level of amputation. The law gives thumb amputations higher scheduled values than comparable losses of individual fingers, and L&I uses the schedule in effect on the date of your injury.

A crushing injury may leave nerve damage, reduced motion or partial loss of a finger. Your attending physician’s findings can affect the impairment rating that L&I uses to calculate your award. Our page on permanent partial disability benefits explains how medical ratings fit into the PPD process.

What Types Of Finger Injuries Are Covered In Washington L&I Claims?

L&I may cover many finger injuries when your work causes the damage. Common claims include:

Amputations and partial severance: Blades and powered machinery remove a digit or cut through part of its tissue.
Crushing injuries and fractures: Heavy materials and moving equipment break bones or harm surrounding structures.
Lacerations and tendon tears: Sharp edges and hand tools slice skin or injure structures that control movement.
Nerve damage and neuropathy: Severe trauma and compression damage nerves or reduce normal hand function.
Dislocations and joint damage: Forceful impact and twisting shift joints out of position or limit mobility.

The diagnosis matters because your medical records help show how the injury affects your hand and your ability to work.

What Are Common Causes Of Finger Injuries In Central Washington?

Central Washington workers often handle machinery, tools and heavy materials. Several regional industries create hand injury risks:

Food processing lines: Conveyor systems and cutting stations in Sunnyside trap digits or cause severe wounds.
Agricultural machinery: Harvesters and tractors across the Yakima Valley strike hands or injure fingers during operation or maintenance.
Construction equipment: Saws and powered devices on Tri-Cities job sites cut tissue or fracture fingers.

These workplace hazards can cause serious damage quickly, so your medical records should clearly connect the accident to your treatment.

What Steps Should You Take After Injuring Your Finger In Your Washington Workplace?

Your first actions can protect your health and create a clear record for your L&I claim. Take these steps as soon as you can:

Report the incident: Tell your employer or supervisor what happened and keep written proof of the notice.
Seek medical treatment: Visit a healthcare provider promptly and explain how your job caused the injury.
Preserve claim records: Gather medical reports, work restrictions, wage information and related paperwork, and keep them together.
Begin the application: Follow the required process to start your workers’ comp claim and retain copies of what you submit.
Continue prescribed care: Attend scheduled appointments and tell your doctor about changes in strength, movement, pain or sensation.

Taking these steps early can give L&I a clearer record of your injury and reduce avoidable problems as your claim moves forward.

How A Workers’ Comp Lawyer Helps After A Finger Injury

Here are some of the ways a workers’ comp lawyer helps you get everything you’re owed after you’re hurt at work.

Your lawyer can:

Confirm that you’re getting the medical care you need under workers’ comp rules
Gather your medical evidence from your treatment
Communicate with L&I or the workers’ comp insurer
Make sure you get all the right forms submitted
Make sure you don’t miss any deadlines or important steps
Negotiate a settlement for you if needed
Represent you at an L&I hearing
Check to be sure you’re getting the right payments

Workers’ comp has its own legal system with its own rules, courts and judges.

Lawyers like the ones at Bothwell Hamill & Sutton, PLLC know how to navigate this system for you, which is why you want a law firm with extensive workers’ comp experience.