WFI Retro Program

Washington Food Industry SafetyNet

Washington Food Industry (WFI) represents the interests of the independent grocery industry.  Today, our membership spans from growers to grocers who collaborate to promote the principles of Free Enterprise to ensure a vigorous, competitive, economically healthy food industry.

WFI actively pursues and lobbies for legislation that helps the grocery, restaurant, and food industry.

WFI employs a full time lobbyist that listens to your needs and provides you with the comfort of knowing that you have political representation at the highest level in the State of Washington.

One of the many services available to the WFI membership is the workers' compensation retrospective rating refund program (Retro).  Members of the WFI Retro Program receive claims management, safety/loss control and legal services.  100% of the refund is distributed back to the members.  Refunds are distributed based on company size and performance.  25% of the overall refund is distributed to members based off their company's premium size and the remaining 75% is distributed based off individual performance.

How Does the WFI Retro Program Work?

• L&I tracks the group members' premium and claims costs during a twelve month period of time known as a Plan Year.
• L&I makes the 1st Adjustment Refund Calculation 10 months after the end of the Plan Year by subtracting the group members' actuarial adjusted claims from their retro premiums.
• L&I makes the 2nd Adjustment Refund Calculation 22 months after the end of the Plan Year by subtracting the group members' actuarial adjusted claims from their retro premiums.
• L&I makes the 3rd and Final Refund Calculation 24 months after the end of the Plan Year by subtracting the group members' actuarial adjusted claims from their retro premiums.

What Are The Risks?

Retro is not without risk. If the group's actuarial adjusted claims exceed the group's retro premiums then the group members may be assessed additional premium, up to a predetermined amount.   WFI's assessment is limited to 10% of the members' plan year premium. The likelihood of assessment is low due to the historical loss history of the group; the steps that are taken to eliminate employers who have a history of high losses; and the efforts that are taken to control costs once a claim occurs.