05/02/2026 - NYS Workers’ Compensation Board Efforts Brings Real Change for Injured Workers and Other Stakeholders

Press Releases

May 2, 2026

Modernization Projects Yield Sustainable Results Speeding the Claims Process and Helping Workers Recover Sooner

NYS Workers' Compensation Board Chair Freida D. Foster announced today that a series of new operating procedures, system enhancements, and historic achievements have created a continued progression toward a more efficient workers' compensation system that helps injured workers recover more quickly so they can get back to their lives and livelihoods.

Among the Board's improvements:

• Hearings are now held faster than ever before. The time it takes for claimants to get a hearing date has been cut by more than half in recent years. The average time, from the date of request to the hearing, is now 35 days, down from 76 in July 2024, and if you include the 21 days for mailing the timeframe has been reduced to 14 days.
• The transition to electronic Request for Further Action (RFA) forms means claimants and payers no longer wait on a paper process to keep claims moving. Now, nearly all RFA requests are processed by the Board within one or two days, down from an average of 17-20 days less than two years ago.
• The Board's expansion of "desk reviews" for Section 32 waiver agreements is speeding resolutions and preserving hearing time for cases with actual disputes. There are roughly 25,000 such agreements each year. In March 2026, 39% of them were accomplished via desk review; in April 2025, it was only 8%.
• Medical bill disputes (HP-1 process) continue to result in timely administrative awards within 2-3 months, thereby resulting in prompt payment to providers when disputes are awarded in their favor.
• The Board's Claims Operations Division has reduced pending work items by 30% since Jan. 2026, enabled by additional staffing, training, and work-process improvements to the system.
• The Board's recent mandate for electronic submission of the universal billing form CMS-1500 is resulting in increased efficiency, data accuracy, and more timely processing. This is helping health care providers get paid timely for their services.
• Partnering with SUNY and CUNY on the RECONNECT program means the Board's Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors can help certain injured workers enroll in free college to prepare for a new career that fits their new abilities after they recover.
• The Board has adopted regulations implementing the Governor's legislation that permits New York's 20,000 resident and fellow physicians at teaching hospitals to treat injured workers, thereby expanding access to medical care for injured workers.

Chair Foster said, "New Yorkers need and deserve a workers' compensation system that works well for everyone. Executive Director Steven Scotti and I are incredibly proud of all of the work Board staff has been doing to implement system-wide improvements that streamline processes, improve accuracy and add additional layers of quality control. By strengthening our processes, we stay true to our commitment toward creating a better system for all of our stakeholders."

Executive Director Scotti said, "The Board, powered by dedicated public servants, has driven meaningful improvements across the system and continues to advance its mission - to protect the rights of employees and employers by ensuring the proper delivery of benefits and promoting compliance with the law - with clarity and purpose."

The Board's goals for further improvements include issuing regulations to update the Medical Fee Schedule to make joining the system more attractive to health care providers; preparing for legislative changes that will mean payers can accept a medical claim and pay out without admitting liability for up to one year; supporting Governor Hochul's Universal Authorization proposal to allow every eligible health care provider in good standing to treat injured workers; and supporting a proposal for the funding of district attorney offices so that they can dedicate resources to fighting fraud in the system.

Workers' compensation is insurance that provides lost wage benefits and/or medical care for work-related injuries or illnesses. These benefits are available to every eligible worker in New York State, regardless of citizenship or immigration status. The Workers' Compensation Board oversees the administration of workers' compensation, disability benefits, and Paid Family Leave in New York State. Its mission is to protect the rights of employees and employers by ensuring the proper delivery of benefits and by promoting compliance with the law. Learn more at www.wcb.ny.gov.