IAIABC Perspectives

IAIABC Excellence Award 2019: New York’s Virtual Hearings

Perspectives / December 2019

IAIABC Excellence Award 2019: NewYork’sVirtual Hearings “This state-of-the-art technology is here to help

Extensive Outreach

Turning the idea of virtual hearings into a reality involved an intensive cross-agency collaboration between the Board and the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS). The two agencies worked together to combine technologies to create a wholly unique experience for stakeholders compared to appearing in-person. Some of the enhanced features virtual hearings offer include: • High-definition video and audio communication between the Board’s administrative law judges (ALJs) and all hearing participants • An extremely simple, intuitive user interface with built-in online help • Automatic recording of all hearings, which are stored on the New York State network for later review by the Board, providing an official hearing record that can be requested as a digital copy by hearing parties • Flexibility, as the solution is available from anywhere on the Internet While those features provide for a positive user experience, the most transformative elements the Board and ITS delivered for this project were the custom internet-basedVirtual Waiting Room/ Queuing solution for external parties, along with the development of the ALJ’s backend hearing dashboard. The combination of these two components allows ALJs to see, in real-time, the availability of all parties as they sign in and attend hearings. The system continuously tracks parties’availability throughout the day and notifies the judges when hearings can be called. This real-time, dynamic tracking and continuous monitoring of participant availability has resulted in tremendous efficiency gains daily for the Board and thousands of parties involved in the hearing process. The Board has also leveraged this technology for attorneys who still choose to appear personally at hearings, by having them check in ahead of their scheduled hearings using the virtual hearings web application.

In addition to the creative and technological efforts that went into building the necessary structures, launching virtual hearings required extensive outreach and education to all potential participants. Virtual hearings were first tested in the Capital District Office in Menands in November 2017. After a very successful pilot, the Board then rolled out virtual hearings at 24 other locations across the state in the months that followed. By the end of 2018, virtual hearings were available at all of the Board’s hearing locations. Ahead of the rollout at each hearing location, the Board conducted educational webinars for attorneys and licensed representatives to teach them about their new option and how it works. These webinars were attended by more than 500 attorneys/licensed representatives statewide. During the first two days of the rollout at each new hearing location, the Board sent staff to provide hands-on support for those attorneys who elected to appear in-person and needed help using the new system to check in to their hearings.

thousands of injured workers who previously needed to travel to a hearing location in order to resolve issues that may have delayed their benefits,” said Board Chair Clarissa Rodriguez. According to Rodriguez, “Virtual hearings have made it easier on these workers, as well as employers who may have trouble stepping away from their businesses, by offering a solution that saves time, energy and money. They are a prime example of how the Board has become better for workers and better for business over the past few years.” When the Board came up with the concept of virtual hearings, the goal was to innovate with technology, so injured workers, attorneys/licensed representatives and other participants, could attend hearings right from their home or office. Previously, attending a hearing often required an injured worker, attorney, or employer witness to travel a considerable distance to one of the Board’s 25 hearing centers for a hearing that may only last 10 to 15 minutes. This not only cost money in travel expenses, but it also cost businesses in labor, as workers had to take extra time away from their jobs. Today, all the hearing participants need is a computer, tablet or smartphone with a microphone and video camera, as well as access to a high-speed internet connection, to participate. Of course, any injured workers or other participants who don’t have a computer or high-speed internet access, or who would rather attend their hearings in person, can always choose to do so. Concept to Creation

NewYork’s groundbreaking virtual hearings have been a game-changer in the workers’ compensation system. With this technological transformation, the NewYork StateWorkers’Compensation Board has reimagined the way it conducts the approximately 1,200 hearings it holds daily and has helped further the Board’s mission of protecting employees and employers by ensuring the proper delivery of benefits. The Board’s virtual hearings are the first multi-point, high-definition, all-access system for legal hearings in the nation. It allows multiple users to log in once and, depending on their role, quickly move fromone hearing to another, anywhere in the state. Virtual hearings allow all participants to attend remotely over a computer or mobile device, in a secure, reliable and convenient manner, saving them from the inconvenience of having to appear in-person. This is especially beneficial to injured workers, whomay find it difficult to travel to hearings, or don’t want to lose any additional time fromwork. It alsomeans businesses and carriers with a statewide footprint can centralize their legal representation, rather than havingmultiple offices in order to be closer to hearing center locations.

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