July 30 is the deadline for most hospitals to submit their next quarterly report on meal and rest break compliance to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I).
The report covers April 1-June 30. Under law, L&I reviews compliance reports to ensure employers meet 80 percent of the required meal and rest breaks in a quarter for covered employees.
L&I’s Health care Standards Program provides the report form and a guidance document on filling it out at Lni.wa.gov/HLS. Follow “Medical facilities, hospitals” tab to access the guidance document.
For assistance with the form or submissions, contact the program at healthcarelaborstandards@Lni.wa.gov.
Some hospitals are exempt
Some hospitals are currently exempt from reporting. This group includes smaller and more remote medical facilities, including:
- Critical care hospitals
- Hospitals with fewer than 25 acute care licensed beds
- Sole community hospitals independent of a health system
- Hospitals located on an island operating within a public hospital district in Skagit county
Key dates
- July 30: Deadline for compliance reports to L&I covering April 1-June 30.
- Until June 30, 2026, L&I will provide technical assistance for hospitals failing to meet the standard, or failing to file a report.
- Starting July 1, 2026:
- The agency can impose penalties for most hospitals failing to meet the 80 percent standard. The penalties range from $5,000-$20,000, depending on the size of the hospital.
- Smaller and more remote medical facilities will also be required to submit quarterly reports. Those include hospitals with fewer than 25 acute care licensed beds, or sole community hospitals independent of a health system. They are exempt from reporting until that time.