In Idaho, some employers bet an injured worker will just take cash and vanish. In Washington, that is the worse option most of the time: open the L&I claim.

The question you should ask next is: did this happen in the course of work, and do I have proof my boss is pressuring me not to report it?

A lot of bad advice gets passed around on crews and warehouse floors in Renton: that undocumented workers cannot use workers' comp, that L&I checks immigration papers, or that a boss can safely threaten deportation if you report an injury. That is wrong. Washington workers' compensation covers workers regardless of immigration status. The claim goes through the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries or a self-insured employer, not ICE.

Cash sounds easier when rent is due and you cannot miss a shift. But cash usually means no wage-loss benefits, no protected medical treatment, no record of the injury, and no paper trail if your condition gets worse next week. A spring-thaw crash in a delivery van on pothole-torn roads near Rainier Avenue South or I-405 can turn a "minor" back strain into missed work fast.

Washington also bans retaliation for filing or planning to file a workers' comp claim. Under RCW 51.48.025, an employer cannot fire or discriminate against you for pursuing benefits. Deportation threats tied to a workplace injury report are not some clever loophole; they are intimidation.

Do this fast:

• Get medical care immediately and tell the provider it was a work injury.
• File the L&I claim right away.
• Save texts, voicemails, cash offers, schedule cuts, and threats.
• If it is a city or county pothole injury outside work, note the agency and the shorter notice rules; if it happened on the job, L&I is the main track.

For many Washington injury claims, the filing deadline is 1 year from the injury or 2 years from a doctor linking an occupational disease to work. The smart move is the one that creates a record.