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History
- Reported and committed to finance
- Referred to labor
- Referred to labor
Full text
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Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S4662
Title of bill
An act to amend the workers' compensation law, in relation to video conferencing technology
Purpose
To provide for videoconferencing technology at all workers' compensation offices in order to facilitate all workers' compensation proceedings and hearings brought before the chair or the board.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends the workers' compensation law to provide that all district offices shall be equipped with video conferencing technology to facilitate workers' compensation proceedings and hearings in any action brought before the chair or the board.
Section 2 provides the effective date.
Justification
The original purpose for the creation of administrative adjudication proceedings for workers' compensation was to establish "alternative dispute resolution" systems for these disputes. These were intended as less complicated, more prompt means of resolving disputes as compared to the more formal, civil court counterparts. Workers' Compensation boards utilize a simplified approach to determine claims through less stringent filing, evidentiary, and hearing procedures and a more cooperative and responsive approach to assist claimants and constituents.
However, in an effort to reduce administrative costs, lower volume offices, often located in the most rural communities of our state are being shut down. This forces hundreds of injured employees and their representative to travel over an hour to attend workers' compensation proceedings and hearings. This bill requires video conferencing technology at all workers' compensation offices in an effort to provide easy access to injured and disabled workers living in rural or other areas throughout the state that are unable to be physically present at workers' compensation hearings.
Video is now used to effectuate timely hearing appearances by out-of-state or remotely located claimants or health care providers. Desktop video technology is also utilized on a pilot basis for conducting conciliations or pre-hearing conferences with self-insured employers or insurance carriers who may have a number of cases pending before the Board. Expanding the use of video conferencing for securing critical testimony of both employees and health care providers who may offer such testimony on a case directly from their homes, private offices or hospitals is essential. This is an important step forward for employees whose ability to pursue a claim or defend an insurer's attempt to reduce or terminate workers' compensation benefits is compromised by the expenses associated with long distance travel or
other hurdles preventing the employee from physically attending the hearing.
Assisting injured workers should be a strong goal of the state. Requiring individuals to travel exceedingly long distances or when they have a physical disability preventing travel is a hardship that ought to be avoided if possible. Video conferencing enables employees and others offering testimony in a workers' compensation hearing to provide that testimony at virtually any setting. For the aforementioned reasons it is imperative that this bill is enacted.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.