Tag Archives: Office Careers

Vocational Retraining

KING 5 – Moratorium on Office Careers

Washington State’s Department of Labor and Industries has issued a moratorium on Office Careers retraining plans after KING 5 Investigations’ Susannah Frame reported on the company’s practices. Ms. Frame’s investigation reports, “School of Broken Promises,” have aired over the past few weeks. Links to all prior segments of Ms. Frame’s reporting are included, below.

Susannah Frame is the Chief Investigative Reporter and Specialty Reporting Coach at KING 5.  Ms. Frame’s investigation of Office Careers, an unaccredited training facility in Renton, WA, has finally drawn the attention of the Department of Labor and Industries.

Following a KING 5 investigation, Department of Labor and Industries officials said they will no longer approve requests to send injured workers to Office Careers.

Part 4: State orders halt on sending injured Washington workers to unaccredited online school

KING 5 Investigations by Susannah Frame | Aired March 3, 2020

Watch the Video

In the fourth segment of the series, “School of Broken Promises, Ms. Frame meets with an injured worker who completed a training plan at Office Careers. After 103 applications, she received 7 rejection letters, and not a single job offer.

Ms. Frame explains that, under Washington law, the Department of Labor and Industries is only supposed to utilize training facilities that demonstrate a minimum 50% placement rate – at least half of people retrained must go on to obtain jobs. Office Careers does not publish data on placement rates, yet they receive more funding from the Department of Labor and Industries than any other training facility in the state.

Ms. Frame interviewed David Johnson, owner of Office Careers. He continues to defend the practices of Office Careers instructors and the value of retraining received through their programs. He states that he has not received any complaints about it’s programs or practices.

DLI’s Moratorium on Office Careers Retraining Plans

Brian Wright received the following in an email from DLI today, March 3, 2020. We presume this is a public release.

Local media recently aired a series of investigative reports on Office Careers, a private vocational school. The allegations center on whether the school is adequately preparing students with the skills they need for employment.

L&I initiated an audit last year based on similar complaints. The audit is still in progress. Additionally, the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Workforce Board) opened an investigation into the school last week.

Effective immediately, L&I is instituting a moratorium on approving any new retraining plans for Office Careers. This will remain in effect pending the results of our audit and/or the Workforce Board investigation. We will announce any changes to this process.

Please share this message with your staff. Thank you for your partnership in helping workers heal and return to work.

Current, ongoing retraining plans are not addressed in this notice. Those plans, at this point, are allowed to continue.

Have Questions? Get Answers.

We have worked with many, many clients who successfully complete retraining programs and return to work in a new career. For many injured workers, quality vocational retraining programs bring the greatest, long-term benefit after an injury. Restoring earning capacity and/or finding satisfying work goes a long way towards making an injured whole after an accident.

If you, or a friend or family member, have any questions or concerns about a workers’ compensation claim, please feel free to contact our firm. We offer a free case analysis and are happy to discuss your questions and concerns with you. 

Prior Posts with Related Content

KING 5 INVESTIGATION OF OFFICE CAREERS – Includes Parts 1 & 2 of the series, “School of Broken Promises.”

KING 5 – STATE LAUNCHING AN INVESTIGATION INTO OFFICE CAREERS – Part 3 of the series, “School of Broken Promises.”

RETURN TO WORK – VOCATIONAL SERVICES – Information about the overall process.

Vocational Retraining

KING 5 – State Launching an Investigation Into Office Careers

Washington State is launching an investigation into Office Careers after KING 5 Investigations’ Susannah Frame reported on the company’s practices. Ms. Frame’s investigation reports, “School of Broken Promises,” have aired over the past couple of weeks. Information reported prompted the State to look into the practices of Office Careers and it’s treatment of students.

Susannah Frame is the Chief Investigative Reporter and Specialty Reporting Coach at KING 5.  Ms. Frame’s investigation of Office Careers, an unaccredited training facility in Renton, WA, has drawn the attention of the Department of Labor and Industries and Workforce, which oversees retraining programs, including those for injured workers. Workforce is now launching an investigation into Office Careers.

Office Careers provides retraining to workers injured on the job, paid for by the Department of Labor and Industries (DLI). In a multi-part series, Ms. Frame laid out, in detail, what she found when she looked into the practices and results of Office Careers.

Washington state has paid millions of dollars to the uncredited, online school that aims to re-train injured workers for office jobs.

Susannah Frame, KING 5 Investigations
Part 3: Washington State Regulators Launch Investigation Into Office Careers

KING 5 Investigations by Susannah Frame | Aired February 25, 2020

Watch the Video

In the third segment of the series, Ms. Frame meets with Jim Parker, Chief Investigating Officer at WA State’s Workforce Board. Workforce is launching an investigation into Office Careers and it’s practices will determine if it has been involved in unfair business practices. Mr. Parker’s investigation will determine whether Office Careers maintains a license to provide retraining services in Washington State.

Ms. Frame also interviewed an injured worker who, after eleven months of training, says she fears becoming homeless as she faces losing her workers’ compensation benefits. Her retraining plan is scheduled to end next month, yet she says has gained no skills that would allow her to obtain an office job.

Ms. Frame notes that David Johnson, owner of Office Careers, disagrees with the information she has been reporting. He continues to defend the practices of Office Careers instructors and the value of retraining received through their programs.

What Should Happen When Retraining Ends

After completing a valid retraining program, an injured worker should have gained the skills and experience to re-enter the job market. The Department of Labor and Industries issues a determination that the injured worker is employable, based on the completion of the retraining plan. Time loss compensation benefits end with this determination of employability.

In most cases, the claim moves towards claim closure. However, sometimes claims can remain open for ongoing medical treatment, if indicated, even if the injured worker is back to work and time loss compensation benefits are no longer being paid.

Unemployment Benefits May Be Payable

Wage and hours worked data is used by the State of Washington’s Employment Security Department to determine eligibility for unemployment insurance compensation for all workers. Unemployment benefits are usually paid to a worker after a layoff. But, when a worker is injured on the job, their eligibility data is frozen while they are off of work.

If the injured worker was qualified to receive unemployment benefits on the date of their injury – and, if they were not off of work for 6+ years – unemployment benefits may be payable after time loss compensation ends.

In most cases, unemployment can be paid during the job search phase, while the injured worker is looking for physically-appropriate work or a job in their new field after retraining. Additional assistance can be provided by Worksource. This can include additional skill-building sessions, such as interview or resume writing classes. It can also include assistance with a job search, as well as the vast database of open jobs maintained by Worksource.

We have worked with many, many clients who successfully complete retraining programs and return to work in a new career. For many injured workers, quality vocational retraining programs bring the greatest, long-term benefit after an injury. Restoring earning capacity and/or finding satisfying work goes a long way towards making an injured whole after an accident.

Have Questions? Get Answers.

If you, or a friend or family member, have any questions or concerns about a workers’ compensation claim, please feel free to contact our firm. We offer a free case analysis and are happy to discuss your questions and concerns with you.

Prior Posts with Related Content

KING 5 INVESTIGATION OF OFFICE CAREERS – Includes Parts 1 & 2 of the series, “School of Broken Promises.”

RETURN TO WORK – VOCATIONAL SERVICES

Vocational Retraining

KING 5 Investigation of Office Careers

Susannah Frame is the Chief Investigative Reporter and Specialty Reporting Coach at KING 5.  Ms. Frame’s investigation of Office Careers, an unaccredited training facility in Renton, WA, is sobering.

Office Careers provides retraining to workers injured on the job, paid for by the Department of Labor and Industries (DLI). In a multi-part series, Ms. Frame lays out, in detail, what she found when she looked into the practices and results of Office Careers.

The Investigation

Some students do not finish the program or do not pass, but they are given certificates of completion anyway. Then their benefits are cut off.

Susannah Frame, KING 5 Investigations
Part 1 – School of Broken Promises
Watch the Video

KING 5 Investigations by Susannah Frame | Aired February 17, 2020

In this initial segment, Ms. Frame interviews an injured worker struggling with his training and worried about his future. She also interviews David Jordan, founder of Office Careers, and Katherine Mason, a Seattle attorney who represents injured workers.

Part 2: Training Program Not Effective, Say Workers

Watch the Video

KING 5 Investigations by Susannah Frame | Aired February 18, 2020

In the second segment of her investigative reporting, Susannah Frame interviews two injured workers who received certificates from Office Careers and were found to be employable on that basis. She also speaks with David Jordan, owner of Office Careers, who says the certificates are meant to reward students for trying, but it is up to employers to do their own evaluation of any candidate for hire. Claimant attorney Elizabeth LePley and DLI employee Rich Wilson, who oversees the worker retraining program, are also interviewed.

Our Experience with Office Careers

In our experience, injured workers with complex scenarios are offered retraining through Office Careers when other options are not readily available. This can be the result of limited skills or experience with computers, technology, or office work. Or, it may be that the worker’s level of education would hinder their ability to attend a college program. Language issues may also be present. Whatever the reason, Office Careers can be a tool for vocational counselors, and the State of Washington, to satisfy the requirements of showing that an injured worker is employable. Once found to be employable, the worker’s compensation is terminated.

Our firm has had many clients who participated in Office Careers retraining plans, some completing their program and some not. The most troubling cases involved aspects of an at-home training plan that seemed doomed to fail from the start.

Trust Your Instincts

I tell injured workers to trust their instincts. If things don’t feel right, they likely aren’t right.

Nobody is taught how the workers’ compensation works, they only learn after they’re injured. Getting advice along the way is wise. Most claimant attorneys, including our firm, offer free consultations.

Prior Posts with Related Content

RETURN TO WORK – VOCATIONAL SERVICES