Most people in New York don’t
realize that the Workers’
Compensation Board even
exists. For attorneys like myself,
the Board is where we make
our living. It’s where I go almost
every day to represent
injured workers. Its headquarters are in
Schenectady but the Board
maintains district regional offices
across New York:
• Albany
• Binghamton
• Brooklyn
• Buffalo
• Long Island
• Manhattan
• Queens
• Rochester
• Syracuse
Simply put, the Board is
the state agency in charge of workers’
compensation. It makes the
official decisions about injured
Some facts you should know
about the Board include the
following:
1. The Board has the legal
power to decide if someone is an
employee or not.
2. The Board officially
decides if an injury is or is not job related.
3. The Board is the agency
that is in charge of both disability
benefits (off the job
benefits) and Workers’ Compensation
benefits (on the job
benefits) in the state of New York.
4. The Board has the legal
power to penalize and fine employers
if they do not carry
Workers’ Compensation insurance.
5. The Board not only
decides Workers’ Compensation cases but
also regulates the
attorneys who appear before it. Attorneys
for injured workers are
never allowed to collect an attorney’s
fee unless the Workers’
Compensation Board approves the
fee. In fact, the Board
decides the attorneys’ fees that are
payable; attorneys do not
make these decisions.
6. The Board can be
contacted through customer service toll
free at (877) 632-4996
Monday through Friday from 8:30
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or by
visiting http://www.wcb.ny.gov/
content/main/Contact.jsp.
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