Virtual Hearings Are Much Improved, but Other Challenges Remain

Ten months ago, lawyers across the state were complaining about the problems they encountered with the New York Workers’ Compensation Board’s virtual hearing system. Sound quality was a mess, audio and video were not in sync, and other technical glitches left participants, including judges, frustrated. “I can tell you it is really slowing down the hearing process,” Binghamton workers’ compensation attorney Jason Carlton said in January. Today, the board and a number of claimants’ and insurance attorneys say that while the system still has its limitations,...