A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #

• Calendar

• Cancel (a Case)

• Case

• Case Number

• Cause of Accident

• Causation/Causative Factor

• Claim

• Claims Information Systems (CIS)

• Close (a Case)

• Compensated Cases Closed (CCC)

• Conciliation

• Contested

• Continue (a Case)

• Controverted Claim

• C-2

• C-3

• C-4

• C-7

• C-8

Calendar: A list of the cases scheduled to be heard on a given date at a specific part at a district office or hearing point.

Cancel (a Case): (WCB) An action by the Board to nullify indexing when two case numbers are assigned to a single claim.

Case: (WCB) A reported work injury or illness which has been assembled and assigned a case number (indexed) by an indexing unit of the Workers' Compensation Board.

Case Number: (WCB) A unique identifier assigned by the Workers' Compensation Board at the time a case is indexed. The case number consists of 8 characteristics and has two possible formats:
• for regular cases (not involving volunteer firefighters or volunteer ambulance workers), the format is DYYSSSSS, where D is a code for the WCB district office in which the case was indexed (0,1=Brooklyn; 2=Hempstead; 5=Albany; 6=Syracuse; 7=Rochester; 8=Buffalo; 9=Binghamton); YY represents the last two digits of the year of indexing; and SSSSS is a 5-digit sequence number, beginning with 00001 on January 1.
• for cases involving volunteer firefighters or volunteer ambulance workers, the format is VDYSSSS, where: V is a letter indicating a firefighter (F) or ambulance worker (A); D and YY are the same as for regular cases; and SSSS is a 4-digit sequence number beginning with 0001 on January 1.

Cause of Accident: (WCB) Object, substance or condition that directly contributed to the occurrence of an accident.

Causation/Causative Factor: The fact of being the cause of something produced or of happening. The act by which an effect is produced. An important doctrine in fields of negligence and criminal law.

Claim: (WCB) A request, on a prescribed Form C-3, for workers' compensation for work-connected injury, occupational disease, disablement, or death (Form C-62). A claimant must file a claim within a two-year period from the occurrence of the accidental injury, knowledge of occupational disablement, or death. Failure to file a claim may bar an award for compensation unless the employer has made advance benefit payment or fails to raise the issue, in which event the claim filing requirement is deemed waived.
(NYCIRB, Carriers) A demand for payment or recovery for loss under an insurance contract. Cases are counted as claims only when a payment is made (for indemnity and/or medical benefits) or a reserve is established.

Claims Information Systems (CIS): (WCB) A data system used by the Board's Claims Unit to record basic case information such as parties of interest, current issues and scheduled hearings. CIS has historically been utilized in calendaring of cases (i.e., establishing hearing schedules) and in case identification.

Classification Code: (NCCI, NYCIRB) A system of insurance risk classification based on industrial or occupational categories, supported by the National Council on Compensation Insurance and in use in about 40 states where private insurance is available. The system, which includes several thousand 4-digit numeric codes (with more than 700 classifications in use in New York), is extensively used to identify an employer's rate making class(es) and establish basic pricing for workers' compensation insurance.

Close (a Case): (WCB) To remove a case from further consideration; a decision to close a case is based on a judge's determination that no further rulings by the Board will be necessary in the case. A case closing is effected by a statement on a WCB decision (e.g., "Case is closed."). The closing date is the date of the hearing or the effective date of the decision. A Board Panel may also close a case.

Compensated Cases Closed (CCC): (WCB) A data system used to summarize cases that have been closed with an award of indemnity benefits during a particular calendar year. The annual files generally contain 120,000-140,000 case records and include information about case/claimant background, employment, injury/accident characteristics, extent of disability, indemnity benefits and selected decision characteristics.

Conciliation: (WCB) A Workers' Compensation Board process established to resolve, in an expeditious and informal manner (e.g. through meetings or telephone conferences), issues involving non-controverted claims in which the expected duration of benefits is fifty-two weeks or less. Failure to reach an agreement through the conciliation process results in the case being scheduled for a hearing.

Contested: To bring an action at law. To make the subject of dispute, contention, or litigation.

Continue (a Case): (WCB) To complete a hearing on a case without closing the case, leaving additional matters to be resolved at a future hearing.

Controverted Claim: (WCB) A claim challenged by the insurer on stated grounds. The Board sets a pre-hearing for the determination of the grounds and directs the parties to appear and present their case.

C-2: A Board form titled "Employer's Report of Work-Related Accident or Occupational Disease" filed by employers within ten days after an accident occurs, as required by WCL .110. The form includes a section identifying the case and principal parties and additional sections labeled "Accident," "Injured Person," "Nature of Injury," "Cause of Accident," and "Fatal Cases." Failure to make timely C-2 filings subjects employers to potential administrative and criminal penalties.

C-3: A Board form titled "Employee's Claim for Compensation," that should be completed by the injured worker and submitted to the Board within two years of the accident or onset date. The C-3 form contains much of the same information as the C-3 (sections describing the Injured Person, Employer, Place and Time of accident, Injury, Nature and Extent of Injury, Medical Benefits received, Compensation Benefits received/claimed, etc.).

C-4: A Board form titled "Attending Doctor's Report," that requests information about claimant/claim identification, claim parties of interest, injury history, diagnosis, treatment, disability, causal relation of accident to disability, and degree of impairment. The form is to be filed by the doctor within two days of initial treatment, with additional reports during continued treatment, including a final report.

C-7: A Board form titled "Notice that Right to Compensation is Controverted," that a carrier (as appropriate) must file within (1) 18 days of the date disability begins or (2) ten days of the date the employer first had knowledge of the alleged injury, whichever is later. Within 25 days from the Board's mailing of a notice of indexing in volunteer firefighter or volunteer ambulance worker cases.) The form contains
• information identifying the claim, person (allegedly) injured, employer and carrier,
• a description of the alleged injury and town/county/state where alleged injury occurred,
• reasons why right to compensation is controverted,
• dates for start of alleged disability, employer/carrier first knowledge of injury, receipt of a C-2 from the employer and
• statement concerning whether notification has been given to the disability benefits insurance carrier, and date of notification.

C-8: A Board form titled "Notice that Payment of Compensation for Disability has been Stopped or Modified," that carriers are required to file within 16 days of the date on which benefit payments are stopped or modified. The form includes
• information identifying the claim, injured person, employer and carrier,
• a summary of total disability benefits, partial disability benefits and disfigurement awards paid,
• a summary of the claimant's return-to-work and earnings status and
• if appropriate, an explanation of why indemnity benefits have not been paid in full. Depending on circumstances cited by the carrier and the claimant's response, the filing of a C-8 may or may not trigger an immediate hearing.