NEW YORK WC BOARD CUTS APPEALS:

The New York State Workers’ Compensation Board’s office of appeals issued 12,460 decisions in 2003, reducing its inventory of open appeals by 787 cases and by 69 percent since 2000, according to Interim Chairman Jeffrey R. Sweet. The 13 commissioners who represent the Workers’ Compensation Board decide claims under appeal. Of the 12,460 appeals processed in 2003, the appeals office affirmed or slightly modified judges’ rulings 78 percent of the time, while only 5 percent were reversed. Commissioners requested further development of the record for just 13 percent of appeals, while 4 percent were resolved by other means. In comparison, nearly 70 percent of appeals in the early 1990s were returned to hearings for further development leading to additional delays.