S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
1401
2011-2012 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
January 7, 2011
___________
Introduced by Sen. SAVINO -- 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 setting a
time limit for requesting full board review of unanimous board panel
decisions
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 23 of the workers' compensation law, as amended by
chapter 6 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
S 23. Appeals. An award or decision of the board shall be final and
conclusive upon all questions within its jurisdiction, as against the
state fund or between the parties, unless reversed or modified on appeal
therefrom as hereinafter provided. Any party may within thirty days
after notice of the filing of an award or decision of a referee, file
with the board an application in writing for a modification or rescis-
sion or review of such award or decision, as provided in this chapter.
The board shall render its decision upon such application in writing and
shall include in such decision a statement of the facts which formed the
basis of its action on the issues raised before it on such application.
Within thirty days after notice of the decision of the board upon such
application has been served upon the parties, or within thirty days
after notice of an administrative redetermination review decision by the
chair pursuant to subdivision five of section fifty-two, section one
hundred thirty-one or section one hundred forty-one-a of this chapter
has been served upon any party in interest, an appeal may be taken ther-
efrom to the appellate division of the supreme court, third department,
by any party in interest, including an employer insured in the state
fund; provided, however, that [if the decision or determination was that
of a panel of the board and there was a dissent from such decision or
determination other than a dissent the sole basis of which is to refer
the case to an impartial specialist,] any party in interest may within
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02858-01-1
S. 1401 2
thirty days after notice of the filing of the board panel's decision
with the secretary of the board, make application in writing for review
thereof by the full board, [and] RAISING ARGUMENTS RELATIVE TO THE
ALLEGED DEFICIENCIES OF THE BOARD PANEL DECISION. IF THE DECISION OR
DETERMINATION WAS THAT OF A PANEL OF THE BOARD AND THERE WAS A DISSENT
FROM SUCH DECISION OR DETERMINATION OTHER THAN A DISSENT THE SOLE BASIS
OF WHICH IS TO REFER THE CASE TO AN IMPARTIAL SPECIALIST, the full board
shall review and affirm, modify or rescind such decision or determi-
nation in the same manner as herein above provided for an award or deci-
sion of a referee. IF THE DECISION OR DETERMINATION WAS THAT OF A UNAN-
IMOUS PANEL OF THE BOARD, OR THERE WAS A DISSENT FROM SUCH DECISION OR
DETERMINATION THE SOLE BASIS OF WHICH IS TO REFER THE CASE TO AN IMPAR-
TIAL SPECIALIST, THE FULL BOARD MAY IN ITS SOLE DISCRETION REVIEW AND
AFFIRM, MODIFY OR RESCIND SUCH DECISION OR DETERMINATION IN THE SAME
MANNER AS HEREIN ABOVE PROVIDED FOR AN AWARD OR DECISION OF A REFEREE.
Failure to apply for review by the full board shall not bar any party in
interest from taking an appeal directly to the court as above provided.
The board may also, in its discretion certify to such appellate division
of the supreme court, questions of law involved in its decision. Such
appeals and the question so certified shall be heard in a summary manner
and shall have precedence over all other civil cases in such court. The
board shall be deemed a party to every such appeal from its decision
upon such application, and the chair shall be deemed a party to every
such appeal from an administrative redetermination review decision
pursuant to subdivision five of section fifty-two of this chapter. The
attorney general shall represent the board and the chair thereon. An
appeal may also be taken to the court of appeals in the same manner and
subject to the same limitations not inconsistent herewith as is now
provided in the civil practice law and rules. It shall not be necessary
to file exceptions to the rulings of the board. An appeal to the appel-
late division of the supreme court, third department, or to the court of
appeals, shall not operate as a stay of the payment of compensation
required by the terms of the award or of the payment of the cost of such
medical, dental, surgical, optometric or other attendance, treatment,
devices, apparatus or other necessary items the employer is required to
provide pursuant to section thirteen of this article which are found to
be fair and reasonable. Where such award is modified or rescinded upon
appeal, the appellant shall be entitled to reimbursement in a sum equal
to the compensation in dispute paid to the respondent in addition to a
sum equal to the cost of such medical, dental, surgical, optometric or
other attendance, treatment, devices, apparatus or other necessary items
the employer is required to provide pursuant to section thirteen of this
article paid by the appellant pending adjudication of the appeal. Such
reimbursement shall be paid from administration expenses as provided in
section one hundred fifty-one of this chapter upon audit and warrant of
the comptroller upon vouchers approved by the chair. Where such award is
subject to the provisions of section twenty-seven of this article, the
appellant shall pay directly to the claimant all compensation as it
becomes due during the pendency of the appeal, and upon affirmance shall
be entitled to credit for such payments. Neither the chair, the board,
the commissioners of the state insurance fund nor the claimant shall be
required to file a bond upon an appeal to the court of appeals. Upon
final determination of such an appeal, the board or chair, as the case
may be, shall enter an order in accordance therewith. Whenever a notice
of appeal is served or an application made to the board by the employer
or insurance carrier for a modification or rescission or review of an
S. 1401 3
award or decision, and the board shall find that such notice of appeal
was served or such application was made for the purpose of delay or upon
frivolous grounds, the board shall impose a penalty in the amount of
five hundred dollars upon the employer or insurance carrier, which
penalty shall be added to the compensation and paid to the claimant. The
penalties provided herein shall be collected in like manner as compen-
sation. A party against whom an award of compensation shall be made may
appeal from a part of such award. In such a case the payment of such
part of the award as is not appealed from shall not prejudice any rights
of such party on appeal, nor be taken as an admission against such
party. Any appeal by an employer from an administrative redetermination
review decision pursuant to subdivision five of section fifty-two of
this chapter shall in no way serve to relieve the employer from the
obligation to timely pay compensation and benefits otherwise payable in
accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
Nothing [herein] contained IN THIS SECTION shall be construed to
inhibit the continuing jurisdiction of the board as provided in section
one hundred twenty-three of this chapter.
S 2. The opening paragraph of subdivision 2 of section 142 of the
workers' compensation law, as amended by chapter 608 of the laws of
1989, is amended to read as follows:
2. Any review, hearing, rehearing, inquiry or investigation required
or authorized to be conducted or made by the workers' compensation board
may be conducted or made by any panel of the board consisting of not
less than three members thereof, and the order, decision or determi-
nation of a majority of the members of a panel shall be deemed the
order, decision or determination of the board from the date of filing
thereof with the secretary of the board, unless the board on its own
motion, or on application by a party in interest for a full board review
MADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION TWENTY-THREE OF THIS CHAPTER, shall
modify or rescind such order, decision or determination. Four panels
shall be constituted at all times, and the chair shall assign the
members to the panels upon which they shall serve. At least one member
on each panel shall be an attorney and counsellor-at-law, but the
absence of an attorney on any panel shall not invalidate the order,
decision or determination of a majority of the members of the panel if
at least two affirmative votes are cast in favor of such action. The
panels shall be constituted so that the members of the board shall
alternate in their periods of service together thereon. Whenever a
number of proceedings remains pending before the board for a period in
excess of thirty days, members of the board shall hold hearings and
otherwise act in the discharge of their duties evenings and at other
convenient times on all days of the week except Sundays, in addition to
the times when they would perform such duties in the ordinary conduct of
the business of the board, in order to expedite the disposal thereof.
The chair may and shall, when directed by the governor, prescribe the
hours and the times for such additional performance of duty by the
members of the board and the period or periods for the continuance ther-
eof.
S 3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to all
requests for review by the full board from decisions of a panel of a
board issued after the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.