STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2461
2013-2014 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 17, 2013
___________
Introduced by Sen. LANZA -- 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 directing
the chairman of the workers' compensation board to appoint a referee
to investigate, review and hear claims at each hearing part within the
city of New York
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 141 of the workers' compensation law is amended by
2 adding a new closing paragraph to read as follows:
3 The chairman shall appoint and employ referees to be physically pres-
4 ent at each hearing part operating within the boundaries of the city of
5 New York, to investigate, review and hear claims at the customer service
6 center or district office where the claimant resides or elects to
7 attend; provided, however that in the event of the temporary absence of
8 the appropriate referee, and where no other referee is physically avail-
9 able to appear, a hearing may be held by means of videoconference by a
10 referee appearing from a location outside of the customer service center
11 or district office of the hearing. No claimant residing within the
12 boundaries of the city of New York shall have to cross a bridge to trav-
13 el to a hearing location, unless they opt to do so at their request.
14 § 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
15 have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05598-01-3
