LEG A L DIVISIONS
New York enacted its workers’ compensation
statute to address inequities historically
existing among employers and employees
with regard to workplace injuries. The New
York statute operates on the premise of a
tradeoff. Employers assume all liability for
injuries arising out of, and in the course of,
employment regardless of fault. Workers
receive limited wage replacement bene?ts
for lost earning capacity and are entitled to
payment of all related and necessary medical
costs. In exchange, employees are prohibited
from suing employers for personal injuries.
New York City is a self-insurer of its workers’
compensation obligations pertaining to
the City’s approximately 200,000 covered
employees. Employees not covered under
this statute, but rather by union contracts,
include uniformed police of?cers, ?re?ghters,
and uniformed sanitation workers.
Bill Processing
Medical bill processing is a signi?cant part of
the Division’s work. Workers’ Compensation
is now using bill review software to partially
automate the processing of medical bills.
The software automatically reduces any bill
in excess of the medical fee schedule. This
allows Division employees to concentrate
their efforts on determining whether the
treatment being billed is related to the case
and whether the treatment is consistent
with the Workers’ Compensation Board’s
treatment guidelines.
RECEIVING AND INDEXING OVER
14,500
NEW CLAIMS
REPRESENTING THE CITY AT NEARLY
PHOTO: GRAND CENTRAL STATION
Exposure to Medical Issues
Claims involve nearly every conceivable
medical condition, including work-related
psychiatric diagnoses, respiratory ailments,
heart conditions, and orthopedic conditions.
Division attorneys acquire a broad range
of medical knowledge and obtain excellent
experience by regularly cross examining
medical and lay witnesses.
WORKERS’
COMPENSATION
CHIEF John Sweeney
DEPUTY Mindy Roller
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