Any worker or other recipient of benefits under this title may elect to have any payments due paid by debit card or other electronic means or transferred to such person‘s account in a financial institution for either: (1) Credit to the recipient’s account in such financial institution; or (2) immediate transfer therefrom to the recipient’s account in any other financial institution. The debit card or other electronic means payment option is available at the discretion of the department or self-insured employer, and the recipient must request in writing on a department-approved form or other department-approved method that the recipient’s payments be made through this payment option.

A single payment may be drawn in favor of such financial institution, for the total amount due the recipients involved, and written directions provided to such financial institution of the amount to be credited to the account of a recipient or to be transferred to an account in another financial institution for such recipient. The issuance and delivery by the disbursing officer of a payment in accordance with the procedure set forth in this section and proper indorsement thereof by the financial institution shall have the same legal effect as payment directly to the recipient.

For the purposes of this section, “financial institution” shall have the meaning given in RCW 41.04.240 as now or hereafter amended.