Attorneys Lament Virtual Hearing Project, Citing Myriad Issues

Six weeks into a virtual hearings project in which cases are heard by video, attorneys on both sides say they already are seeing technical difficulties and that the lack of court reporters is a violation of the workers’ compensation statute. The New York State Workers’ Compensation Board on Nov. 13 began offering virtual hearings in the Albany district and then in Binghamton. The project will move to Brooklyn on Jan. 16. New York is the second state, behind Florida, to use videoconferencing for hearings. Ohio abandoned a similar project in early 2011 after seven months. Binghamt...