A closer look at EAMS

EAMS ogo

As an external party submitting documents to DWC, you may see the documents you submit, and the notices you receive, but you may not be aware of the functions that comprise the Electronic Adjudication Management System (EAMS). You may also be wondering exactly how your documents will make it from submission into the system, and how they are processed.

Following are a sample of EAMS' key functions for your reference. Feel free to contact us at EAMS@dir.ca.gov with any questions.

Common functions across DWC units
Adjudication
Vocational Rehabilitation/Return to Work
Disability Evaluation Unit
Uninsured Employers Benefit Trust Fund/financials
Administration of the application

Common functions across DWC units

Search

  • EAMS provides capability to search for persons, employers, cases, tasks, and system users
  • Each type of search screen features several filters that allow users to perform searches using data available to them

External User Screen

  • The system provides an application interface that allows individuals with logons and passwords to retrieve limited information for cases on which they are case participants
  • Through a special homepage for those with logon and password access, an external user is able to retrieve a list of cases that he/she is registered on
  • The system allows external users to create requests for rescheduling or canceling of hearings associated with their cases. These requests, once created, are automatically forwarded to department staff for consideration

General Public Access

  • EAMS provides the general public with capabilities to search and view public information on active adjudication cases.

Back to top

Adjudication

Document Management

  • Accepts 251 different documents that can be submitted via OCR or filed electronically to be included as part of an electronic case file
  • Fourteen of those forms capture data and take actions on a case (automatically schedule hearings, create liens, etc.)
  • Six of those forms automatically open a new case in the system when they are processed. They also automatically register new injured workers, employers, lien claimants and other parties if they don't already exist
  • Examples:
    • An application form opens a new case in the system and, if necessary, registers the required participants
    • Hearing forms automatically schedule a hearing for the specified case
    • Settlement forms designate the agreement reached by conflicting parties

Case History

  • The system tracks history of all actions and events that have occurred on a case
  • 323 distinct events are automatically recognized and logged by the system

Outgoing Communications

  • Provides 24 pre-created templates in MS Word format for commonly-used correspondences. These correspondences can be customized and sent through fax, e-mail or U.S. mail
    • System automatically generates pre-defined notices to parties at the occurrence of certain events.
    • Six distinct types of pre-defined notices available.
      • Examples: Notice of hearing, hearing cancellation, hearing reschedule, new case opened

Other ADJ Functions

  • Liens
    • Ability to record and amend lien information, which allows a user to track lien claimants and monetary allowances
  • Orders (Decisions)
    • Allows the creation of six closing orders that will close a case when parties agree to a settlement or the judge grants an award
    • Also allows the creation of 79 additional orders that a judge can issue on a case as it progresses
  • Recusals
    • Able to designate specific parties (injured workers, law firms, employers, etc) for which a judge may not hear cases
    • System will exclude the judge when performing automatic hearing scheduling/case owner assignment on cases involving any parties mentioned above from which the judge is recused
  • Reconsideration Board
    • Ability to electronically transmit cases to the reconsideration board
    • In addition to recording this action to the case history, the system also automatically informs the members of the reconsideration board
    • Security implemented to prevent unauthorized modification of case information while the case is with the reconsideration board

Hearings

  • Ability to automatically or, if required, manually schedule, reschedule, cancel and complete different types of hearings (Mandatory Settlement Conference, Rating Conference, Lien Conference, Expedited Trial, Priority Conference, Trial, Pro Tem)
  • The system automatically generates notifications to internal users and external participants informing them of the status of the hearing
  • Ability to define availability for each judge in a location
  • A robust front-end that provides details about dates, attendees, and outcomes of hearings

Back to top

Retraining and Return to Work

RSU Document Management

  • Accepts 18 different documents that can be submitted via OCR or filed electronically as part of an electronic case file
  • Five of those forms capture data and take actions on a case (automatically schedule hearings, create liens, etc.)
  • Four of those forms automatically open a new case in the system when they are processed. They also automatically register new injured workers, employers, lien claimants, and other parties if they don't already exist

Case History

  • The system tracks history of all actions and events that have occurred on a case
  • 128 distinct events are automatically recognized and logged by the system

Outgoing Communications

  • Provides six pre-created templates in MS Word format for commonly-used correspondences. These correspondences can be customized and sent through fax, e-mail, or U.S. mail

Unit-Specific Functionality

  • Determinations (Decisions)
    • System automatically sends out notices to external parties when a determination is created

Back to top

Disability Evaluation Unit

Document Management

  • Accepts 33 different documents that can be submitted via OCR or filed electronically to be part of an electronic case file
  • Six of those forms capture data and take actions on a case (for example, automatically create case, create ratings, etc.)

Case History

  • The system tracks history of all actions and events that have occurred on a case
  • 23 distinct events are automatically recognized and logged by the system

Outgoing Communications

  • Provides seven pre-created templates in MS Word format for commonly-used correspondences. These correspondences can be customized and sent through fax, e-mail, or U.S. mail

Unit-Specific Functionality

  • Rating
    • Ability to record medical information and rating details associated to an injured worker
    • This information can be created manually or automatically through an interface with an external system
  • Rating Request
    • Ability to record requests made for ratings against a case and the functionality to associate a specified rating with a request
  • Reconsider Rating Requests
    • Challenges made to ratings and rating requests can be recorded and associated to the corresponding ratings

Back to top

Uninsured Employers Fund/Financials

Document Management

  • Ability to automatically open a UEF case when an incoming application to the district office indicates the employer on the case to be uninsured
  • Accepts 120 UEF/SIF specific documents that can be submitted via OCR or filed electronically as part of an electronic case file
    • One of these is an electronic form that can capture data, register the injured worker and open an INT and UEF case
    • Two of these are case opening documents
    • 63 of these forms will automatically send tasks and notifications to the concerned business users upon filing

Case History

  • The system tracks history of all actions and events that have occurred on a case
  • 67 distinct events are automatically recognized and logged by the system

Outgoing Communications

  • 30 pre-created templates in MS Word format for commonly used correspondences. These correspondences can be customized and sent through fax, e-mail, or U.S. mail

Unit-Specific Functionality

  • Customized case balancing worksheets and SIF case value calculation worksheets implemented to assist UEF/SIF staff
  • Screens implemented using complex workers' compensation formulae and Labor Code rate tables to calculate compensation benefits and liens

Financials

  • Financial Manager
    • A single page view of all financial transactions available for all cases and participants registered in the system
    • The application shares outgoing payments data with the California state accounting and reporting system through a system interface
    • Ability to allocate a single incoming payment across multiple cases
    • Ability to track the history of every incoming payment and outgoing payment
    • Allocation of incoming payments to existing liabilities can be reversed
    • The system creates and maintains reversal records and cancellation records for easy tracking and case balancing
  • Incoming Payment Processing
    • Ability to record incoming payments received via check or credit card
    • Ability to process credit card transactions
    • Automatic transfer of funds to a pre-assigned merchant account
    • Ability to provide a single page receipt of every incoming payment
    • Receipt includes details like method of payment, payer information, and receipt number, allocated amount and unallocated amount, and list of cases the payment is allocated to
  • Outgoing Payment Processing
    • Ability to print thousands of scheduled checks seamlessly in EAMS with the click of a single button
    • Ability to record information on the checks disbursed via State Controller's Office
    • The application can set up cycle payments that will automatically generate checks every two weeks
    • Checks can be directly transmitted to a payee's bank account with a primary bank account is available in the system

Back to top

Administration of the application

Security

  • The security setup provides control over field level security where certain users are allowed to view most of the information on the page but certain fields on the same page can be modified only by specific users
  • The application allows for the creation and maintenance of user accounts and associated contact information

System Interfaces

  • The application shares data with multiple interface partners in real-time
  • Formatted error files provide details on the records that failed during processing along with the exact reason for failure

Back to top

November 2010