Skip to main content

Governor Hochul's legislation to increase injured workers' access to medical care has been enacted in the NYS Budget. Learn more!

Reminder: CMS-1500 electronic submission is mandatory

Back to menu

2026 State of the State Proposal: Universal Authorization

Sections

Increasing access to medical care for injured workers (universal authorization)

Governor Hochul

It's happening! New legislation from Governor Hochul to allow any eligible licensed medical provider in good standing to treat workers' compensation patients has been enacted in the Governor's FY26-27 Budget. This legislation known as "Universal Authorization" will become effective on January 1, 2028, which will allow for the Board to develop substantial training and engage in direct outreach to attract much needed medical providers into the workers' compensation system. Universal authorization is landmark legislation that greatly expands access to medical care for injured workers. The legislation is a win-win-win for injured workers, employers, and medical providers. New York is one of only a handful of states that requires special authorization for health care providers to treat injured workers. Currently, just 10 percent of eligible providers have gone through this authorization process, forcing too many injured workers to wait long times for appointments or travel long distances to receive care.

New Yorkers who get hurt at work should be able to get timely care from doctors they know and trust, so they can get healthy and get back to work. While ensuring that qualified doctors are serving patients, Governor Hochul's legislative change removes a cumbersome and outdated authorization process. Cutting this red tape will open the door to thousands more primary care providers and specialists who can be readily available to seamlessly help injured workers heal so they can return to their lives and their livelihoods.

Participation in the workers' compensation system will remain optional for medical providers, and the Board will continue to provide oversight and training to attract more medical providers into the system. The Board will also continue to regulate medical providers and maintain an exclusion list to ensure the highest-quality care.

Additional efforts to encourage provider participation and increase access to care

Universal Authorization is game-changing legislation that opens the door to all eligible medical providers to treat workers' compensation patients. And while it addresses a major barrier to provider participation, the Board recognizes there have been other obstacles preventing providers from treating New York's injured workers, many of which have been or are in the process of being addressed. Universal Authorization complements the ongoing work the Board is doing to make the system more attractive to providers so they will treat workers' compensation patients.

For example:

  • The Board moved all prior authorization requests online, which has resulted in significantly expediting all requests through the system.
  • The Board transitioned to a single, electronic, universal billing form (CMS-1500) and eliminated 12 custom forms that medical providers previously had to use.
  • The Board has eliminated the medical billing dispute backlog so medical bill disputes are now handled administratively within 2-3 months and arbitration disputes within 3-4 months.
  • The Board has proposed new medical fee schedule regulations to significantly and meaningfully increase Evaluation and Management fees so they are competitive with private insurance. The Board will be reviewing the entire fee schedule for other necessary adjustments to make the fee schedule more competitive generally.
  • The Board has moved all medical provider depositions to be done by phone for the convenience of the medical provider, and has taken measures to increase and expedite payment for such testimony.
  • Finally, the Board has made it easier for resident and fellow physicians training at New York's approximately 70 teaching hospitals to provide care to injured workers.

These are among the many improvements that the Board has implemented to make the system better for both injured workers and the providers who care for them.

Benefits to workers

Ability to be treated by their family doctor

  • Removes the Board-authorization requirement to enable all eligible licensed medical providers, in good standing, to treat workers' compensation patients. This allows injured workers to receive treatment from their personal physicians and specialists, where they have existing and trusted relationships, and where there is a greater familiarity with their overall health status and medical conditions.
  • This familiarity creates greater continuity/coordination of care and better outcomes.
  • Presently, approximately two-thirds of New Yorkers have a primary care physician, and many have known, trusted specialists. Injured workers will be able to be treated by their primary care physicians and trusted specialists.

Increased access to quality health care

  • Proposal increases geographic access to care in every region of New York State and increases access to providers from every medical specialty.
  • Increases pool of providers in suburban/rural areas where currently injured workers must travel an average of 35 miles to see an authorized provider, and where up to 40% must travel to another county for treatment.
  • Gives workers' compensation patients access to medical specialists who are not presently participating in workers' comp, which is particularly important for infrequent conditions (e.g., asthma or allergies) for which return to work may be delayed until after specialized evaluation, or for rare conditions (e.g., cancer) where prompt diagnosis/treatment can be life-saving, and undertaking long travel for care can be a significant hardship.

Freedom of choice

  • Provides freedom to select from the most qualified and skilled providers.
  • Presently, only 10% of eligible providers are authorized, so choice of provider may be severely limited, even in geographies where there is no shortage of providers.
Benefits to workers Benefits to providers
  • Better access to care, especially in rural areas
  • More options for specialty providers
  • More timely care, which leads to better, more complete recoveries and quicker returns to work
  • Can seek treatment from primary care physicians or other providers they already know and trust
  • Provide continuity of care for existing patients
  • Expand practice
  • No extra steps, time, or cost to get Board-authorized or renew authorization
  • With this and other recent improvements for providers, participating in workers' compensation is easier and better than ever before

Frequently asked questions

  • How will authorization work?

    Authorization will be automatic as part of health care providers' licensing through the New York State Education Department.

  • How many providers are currently authorized?

    There are about 24,500-Board authorized providers, and roughly 18,000 of those are actively treating injured workers.

  • How will medical providers know the rules and regulations governing their treatment under the Workers' Compensation Law?

    Providers receive education and training that make them well-equipped to meet the needs of their patients for workers' compensation purposes, such as commenting on causation, return-to-work, degree of disability and permanency. These same providers are already familiar with these concepts in other contexts of their practice (private disability insurance, Social Security, and personal injury claims). Clinically, these providers are probably already practicing in line with our Medical Treatment Guidelines, which represent widely accepted, evidence-based best practices. Moreover, the Board provides robust training and education to all providers with direct outreach, website webinars, training documents and one-on-one email or telephonic guidance that will be available to all providers. This proposal will require periodic training by providers to ensure they are kept abreast of any new developments or nuances in the workers' compensation system.

  • How long will it take to implement?

    Universal Authorization will take effect January 1, 2028.

Support

In the news

4/4/26 - "Universal Authorization is a much-needed fix for workers' compensation" Op-Ed by Dr. Michael Holland.
Published in the Post-Star and written by Dr. Michael Holland. See image.

4/6/26 - "Hochul Calls for 'Universal' Provider"
Published in WorkCompCentral.

5/1/26 - "Universal Authorization is a Much-Needed Fix for NY Workers' Compensation" Op-Ed by Dr. Michael Holland.
Published in WorkCompCentral.

5/5/26 - "Commentary: N.Y. can make it easier for workers' comp patients to see a doctor" Op-Ed by Dr. Stephen V. Mawn.
Published in the Albany Times Union.

5/28/26 - Governor Hochul Secures Protections for Workers as Part of FY27 Budget

Additional support

Letter from Mark Lawrence, IBEW Local 1249 Business Manager and Financial Secretary, to Gov. Kathy Hochul, Assemblymember Harry Bronson, Sen. Jessica Ramos, and Sen. Chris Ryan

Letter to Governor Hochul from Alan Marzullo, IBEW Local 43

Memorandum in Support from the American Physical Therapy Association's New York Chapter (APTA New York)

Letter to Governor Hochul from Michael Crane, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health at Mount Sinai

Bob Duffy, President & CEO, Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce said: "Universal authorization is a win for businesses, a win for workers, a win for medical providers, and a win for New York State. Cutting red tape and removing barriers to injured individuals accessing the care they need where they need it and when they need it just makes sense. Thank you to Governor Hochul for her leadership on this subject, and the Workers' Compensation Board for their thoughtful administration."

Stacey, an injured worker in Suffolk County said: "As someone who has been on New York State workers' comp since 1993, having these changes would change my life. Having to choose specific doctors to do a surgery based on Board recognition versus whether or not there's somebody you would actually use, is mind-blowing, so this would be life-changing."

Debra, an injured worker in Orange County said: "I totally agree that the law should be changed so that doctors and providers no longer need to file a redundant set of bureaucratic documents with the Board before they're allowed to treat injured workers. Since July 2023, this current process has delayed my treatment many times. My recovery time would have been much quicker if I was able to see my regular doctors."

William, an injured worker in Albany County said: "I would support the legislation because I had great difficulties locating doctors who would accept my workers' comp case for treatment. I had to travel long distances to find doctors to treat my condition since there were none in my area. I travelled over 200 miles to see a dermatologist because this was the closest one to me. I believe this legislation will not only help me, but it will also help all injured workers."

Gordon Steinagle, DO, MPH, occupational physician, Buffalo, NY, said: "I commend the Board for all its work in modernizing the New York State workers' compensation system to make it better for providers, and I fully support universal authorization, which will encourage many more providers to participate."

Michael Holland, MD, FACMT, Medical Director, Occupational Medicine (Glens Falls/Saratoga, NY), and Medical Director for Toxicology, SUNY Upstate (Syracuse, NY), said: "Injured workers in New York State desperately need greater access to physicians in remote geographic regions and in many medical specialties, even in our cities. The Governor's plan to make it easier for physicians to participate in the workers' compensation system will go a long way in fixing this longstanding problem."

Dieter Affeln, MD, MPH, occupational physician, Rochester, NY, said: "I am in full support of unhindered access to specialty providers. These initiatives cannot wait."

Stephen V. Mawn MD, JD, MPH at the University of Rochester Medical Center, said: Timely medical care is a critical component in optimally returning injured workers to health and their highest function. The current system requiring a treating provider to be specially authorized severely impedes these goals. If the removal of this special authorization results in even just a 15 or 20 percent increase among eligible practitioners, a large obstacle to access will be diminished and the care of injured workers dramatically improved."

Marc Wilkenfeld, MD, board certified occupational physician, New York, NY, said: "Removing unnecessary hurdles for physicians to treat injured workers will result in many more willing to provide care. When workers' compensation patients can get timely, high-quality care, they heal faster and more completely, increasing the likelihood that they can return to work."

Alaina Evelyn Varvaloucas, Executive Director of the Worker Justice Center of New York said: "Locating a WCB-authorized provider you need for the specific workplace injury or illness you have is a nearly impossible task for many injured workers in rural parts of New York. Proposals such as universal authorization that expand that pool are critical. It will be important moving forward, in ensuring this new initiative is successful and that providers participate on a permanent basis, that New York continue reforms that incentivize provider participation."


Provide feedback:

  • Give your feedback on the Governor's proposal to increase injured workers' access to health care through universal authorization. Your input may be made public on this page and social media. Write to publicinfo@wcb.ny.gov to share your thoughts.

Learn more

Did you find this page helpful?