Steven A. Crain

The Board meeting included the review and acceptance of statistical and informational reports from the Office of General Counsel. Members approved various licensing applications for claimant representatives and domestic and foreign third-party administrators. The Board accepted recommendations regarding legal appeals from the Appellate Division, Third Department, and made decisions on several discretionary full board reviews involving rescinded previous rulings. Additionally, the Inspector General and the Attorney in Charge of Workers' Compensation Fraud presented the 2025 Annual Report.

The board meeting included the Office of General Counsel department report detailing statistics for hearings, cases resolved, waiver agreements, and administrative reviews. The board reviewed and approved licensing application recommendations from the assigned board panel. Several decisions from the adjudication division were adopted, and multiple cases were referred back to respective panels for further consideration. A guest speaker provided a report on the Advocate for Business office outreach efforts, focusing on helping small and new businesses with compliance issues through education and networking.

The board discussed department reports from the Office of General Counsel, approved various licensing applications, and adopted several decisions from the Health Division. Additionally, the meeting included a presentation from the Advocate for Business regarding outreach efforts, business compliance, and educational initiatives for employers.

The meeting included reports from the Office of General Counsel regarding hearing statistics, adjudication, and administrative reviews. The Board reviewed and accepted recommendations for license application renewals and Appellate Division decisions. Additionally, the Board reviewed cases for Full Board Review and heard presentations from the New York State Inspector General and the Attorney-in-Charge for Workers' Compensation fraud concerning efforts to identify, investigate, and combat fraud within the system, specifically highlighting cases related to claimants, medical providers, and employers.

The meeting included the presentation of the Office of General Counsel's Departmental Report, which detailed statistical data for Board Adjudication, Administrative Review, and Legal Affairs divisions. The Board reviewed and approved recommendations for three-year licensing application renewals. Decisions of the Appellate Division Third Department were presented and adopted as Full Board decisions. The Board conducted a Mandatory Full Board Review of a specific case and addressed Discretionary Full Board Reviews for several cases, referring them back to their respective Panels for further consideration.