What's happening
This bill requires the Workers' Compensation Board to reduce and streamline forms, including medical forms, to modernize the claims process.
Why it matters
Modernizing the Process. By requiring the Workers' Compensation Board to overhaul and reduce the number of forms, especially medical forms, the bill aims to make the claims process faster and less confusing for injured workers, employers, and healthcare providers.
Timelines for Change. The legislation sets clear deadlines, compelling the Board to update medical forms and launch a new medical portal by the end of 2017, and streamline all other forms by the end of 2018—creating accountability and a predictable timeline for improvements.
Potential Impact on Stakeholders. Streamlining paperwork could reduce administrative burdens and costs for businesses and doctors, while potentially improving access to benefits for injured workers by making the system easier to navigate.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Simplify Workers' Comp Forms
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 55
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to labor
- Referred to labor
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5318
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 21, 2017
Introduced by Sens. FUNKE, MURPHY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Labor
AN ACT to amend the workers' compensation law, in relation to form reduction and streamlining
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The workers' compensation law is amended by adding a new section 140-cc to read as follows:
§ 140-cc. Form reduction and streamlining. The board shall develop and implement a form reduction strategy designed to improve, modernize and streamline all forms used in conjunction with a workers' compensation claim from inception to closure. The board shall complete the reduction and streamlining of the C-4 series of medical forms and the implementation of the medical portal by December thirty-first, two thousand seventeen. The board shall complete the reduction and streamlining of all other board forms, as appropriate, by December thirty-first, two thousand eighteen.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10739-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the workers' compensation law, in relation to form reduction and streamlining
Purpose
To reduce and simply paperwork in connection with worker's compensation claims in order to increase the accessibility of treatment for injured workers, reduce the administrative burden on doctors and reduce cost in the system.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 Adds a new section 140-cc to the workers' compensation law that requires the board to improve, modernize and streamline paperwork related to all aspects of a workers' compensation claim and specifically requires the streamlining of C-4 medical forms and the completion of an online portal by December 31st.
Section 2 is the effective date.
Justification
Red tape, confusing and lengthy paperwork and the lack of an easy to use online submission portal are a persistent complaint about the worker's compensation system in New York State. These circumstances can cause delays for injured workers, frustration for doctors and more cost and less efficiency in the system generally. The C-4 medical forms in particular have caused many doctors, particularly in the Finger lakes region to withdraw from treating patients within the workers' compensation system altogether. This is unacceptable since it limits the choice and impacts the healthcare afforded to injured workers and also contributes to higher costs. This bill would require the Board to implement a plan to streamline all of its paperwork and to specifically solve persistent issues that surround the C-4 form by year's end.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act will take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.