Do I need to hire a lawyer to get compensated for my L&I injury after I move?

You can keep your claim open even after you move out of state. Your case will become significantly more difficult once you move. You will likely have difficulty finding medical providers in Florida who will treat an injured worker with an active Washington State Workers' Comp case. Even if you find a doctor, he or she will not be familiar with our state system, and it will become more of a challenge getting paperwork completed properly. Anyhow, to answer your question, you should continue to receive benefits as long as you are not capable of working. It is not uncommon for employers to start offering you light duty work once you move, because they know you cannot take the job. If they start offering you light duty work, you will definitely need an attorney to help you. In fact, you should probably find an attorney to assist you now. Your case is probably about to become quite hard to manage. You need to be sure you hire an attorney licensed in Washington and experienced in workers' compensation. If you have already moved, it's not too late. Some offices will do the initial free consultation over the phone, and mail you a contract if you wish to hire the attorney...so you don't need to be living in the same town as the attorney you hire.