The New York State Insurance Department just released their Proposed "Disability Duration Guidelines" to the New York State Workers Compensation Board along with the Disability Duration Guidelines Transmittal Letter to Chairman Beloten.pdf.  This 108 page proposal is the result of nearly three years of work by the "Medical Guidelines Task Force", created by the 2007 Workers' Compensation Reform Law, to implement fair impairment guides in permanent partial disability (PPD) cases.

Our own New York Injured Workers Alliance Treasurer, James McCarthy, Esq., participated on this task force at the request of the New York State AFL-CIO and will be present a Continuing Legal Education Seminar (CLE) on the new Guidelines at the upcoming New York Injured Workers' Bar Association in Albany on October 2, 2010.

Until then, please read the new Disability Duration Guidelines carefully and feel free to post comments below. In addition, bring your questions to the IWBA Conference on October 2nd so that we may benefit from every one's input on this major potential change in the way permanent partial disabilities are determined at the New York Workers Compensation Board.  Hope to see you there!