In September, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry launched a new Workers’ Compensation Automation and Integration System (WCAIS) that was designed to create efficiencies in the process of filing a workers’ comp claim. Less than 2 months later, the new system is more of a headache for all involved.
According to an article on Philly.com, system glitches have plagued the new system, causing hundreds of workers’ comp cases to be in limbo statewide. In some cases, injured workers and their attorneys have not been able to get hearings, in other cases court paperwork has disappeared. Some have not been notified of the decisions on their cases. All involved in the workers’ comp process are feeling the side effects, including lawyers, judges, employers, and employees.
According to the article, State Rep. Brendan Boyle (D., Phila.) said he became aware of the problems last week. He said he would ask the state Auditor General’s Office this week to review the issues with the system.
In the article, Labor and Industry Department officials said they are addressing many of the problems. Until all the problems can be solved, there is a backlog of cases at the Labor and Industry Department’s Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.
If you are a workers’ comp client of O’Connor Law and you are experiencing delays with your claim, please contact our office and we’ll do our best to bring you up to date.