July 21, 2026
Effective January 1, 2027, Governor Kathy Hochul has signed into law an amendment to New York State Workers' Compensation Law (NYS WCL) Section 21-a. New York State Workers' Compensation Law (NYS WCL) Section 21-a currently allows payers to initiate compensation payments and payments for prescribed medicine for up to one year without admitting liability. The amendment to NYS WCL Section 21-a will also permit payers to provisionally pay for medical care.
The Chair has adopted the amendments to Section 300.22 of Title 12 of the NYCRR to implement and provide guidance on this change to the law.
The Notice of Proposed Rule Making was published in the March 18, 2026, edition of the State Register. The Notice of Adoption will be published in the August 5, 2026, edition of the State Register. The amendments will take effect January 1, 2027.