Electronic Adjudication Management System (EAMS) Insider
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Issue 6 November 3, 2008 Welcome to EAMS Insider, the newsletter about the Electronic Adjudication Management System (EAMS). The Division of Workers’ Compensation fields many questions from injured workers, employers, attorneys, insurers, lien claimants, and others about the new system. This newsletter was created to answer those questions and share information. Every two weeks, EAMS Insider will provide information on new developments and what to expect during this transition. Bulletins will also be sent to subscribers for important announcements. (Sign up to be a subscriber at EAMS@dir.ca.gov.) |
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What you need to know For a quick primer on EAMS, point your browser to www.dwc.ca.gov/eams. There, you will find a project overview, fact sheet, FAQs, OCR forms and sample filings, blogs from DWC Judges Colleen Casey and Bob Norton, application demos and a glossary. Even if you have visited the Web site before, be sure to check back often for updates, “how to” guides and other useful tools. The main page recently had a makeover, and it’s much easier to find what you are looking for. Check it out! |
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EAMS updates This is the last issue of the Insider before the new regulations that codify filing and other court procedures become final. DWC expects them to be approved and effective on Monday, Nov. 17. Since the launch of EAMS on Aug. 22, filers at the DWC district offices had the option of using either the new OCR forms or the old legacy forms. In the absence of regulations, using the OCR forms was voluntary. But that changes on Nov. 17, when the regulations mandate that the 24 district offices statewide will accept only OCR forms. Exceptions will be made for unrepresented injured workers and for participants in the e-forms trial, who are filing all of their forms electronically. Everyone else will have to start filing the OCR forms. If you are not part of the e-forms trial and have not yet begun to use the OCR forms, now is the time to start learning how. These two weeks will be crucial for learning how to correctly file your documents and other key business process changes brought by EAMS. When Nov. 17 arrives, you want to be prepared. For those of you who have already learned how to use the OCR forms or the e-forms, and have helped us develop the forms and offered your opinions and suggestions, thank you. We appreciate your patience during this transitional period. OCR forms update The OCR forms on the DWC Web site have been refined a few times since EAMS went live, and were updated again on Oct. 23. Also, the document separator sheet was revised on Oct. 31. (Forms that have been revised always have the date of the revision noted in parentheses next to the form’s title.) For all intents and purposes, the forms now posted on our Web site are the final versions of the forms and will conform to the new court regulations. There’s also a handy new tool on the forms page: a complete list of OCR and e-form document titles. This is a user friendly way for filers to see all of the documents by type and by title, and to determine the proper document title used to complete the document separator sheet. The document titles are further categorized by DWC case unit: ADJ, DEU, Voc, integrated case, and RSU. You can find the list here: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/FORMS/EAMS%20Forms/ADJ/DocumentTitlesList11-3-08.xls Here’s a sample:
e-Forms update The new list of complete document titles is a great time-saver for e-Forms filers. The drop-down menus currently found on your e-forms contain both internal and external titles. Therefore the above spreadsheet list, which shows documents by type and by title, should be provided to all of your filers so they know to only use the document titles that are on this list.
Because the regulations that will ultimately govern the use of e-Forms are in their infancy, trial members participate by signing an agreement that ensures they will abide be certain rules for the duration of the trial. Using e-Forms provides many advantages, including:
Until logons and passwords become generally available—currently anticipated in early 2009—participating in the e-Forms trial is the only way to get one. Want to find out more? Visit the “working in EAMS” page of the DWC Web site. Interested in participating in the e-Forms trial? Send an email to eams@dir.ca.gov and put “e-forms trial participant” in the subject line.
New FAQs: DWC is constantly making improvements to the EAMS Web site and is working to make the changes more apparent to frequent visitors. We are also compiling the new and updated FAQs and sending them out in this bi-weekly edition of the EAMS Insider. In this summary, updated questions have the For the full selection of questions and answers, visit www.dwc.gov/eams and click on frequently asked questions under “EAMS information.” Here are the FAQ updates made between Oct. 16 and Nov. 1. Topics covered in this FAQ update include: Claims administrator-specific questions About claims administrator-specific questions: Q: We have received notices of hearings with the new ADJ case numbers and no reference to the old WCAB case number. How can we cross-reference the numbers?
A: Go to the EAMS Web site at www.dwc.ca.gov/eams and click on the new EAMS and legacy case number lookup tool. If you know either number, you can use this page to look up the corresponding case number. Questions about uniform assigned names have been moved from this section to the new uniform assigned names section Q: Can we still walk through DOR’s for approval at the local boards? A: No. Once the new EAMS regulations become effective, DOR’s cannot be walked through. Proposed regulation §10280 allows the following documents to be walked through: • Compromise & release Q: Is it mandatory to use the uniform assigned name for claims administrators and representatives? A: Yes. If your firm or organization’s name exists in the database it must be used. If you are a claims administrator or representative and your firm or organization’s name is NOT in the database, you need to register promptly. See the UAN main page for instructions on doing this. The use of uniform assigned names associates parties to the EAMS cases correctly and uniformly, thus avoiding unnecessary delays. Q: How can I know whether or not a claims administrator is listed in the uniform assigned names database? A: Go to the DWC Web site at www.dwc.ca.gov/eams. Click on the link to the uniform assigned names database for claims administrator offices and representative offices under “working in EAMS.” This database can be used to identify whether a uniform assigned name exists for an administrator or a representative. The name may differ slightly from what you would expect it to look like. If you cannot find the name but think it is in the database, try searching by using the first three letters of the name you would expect to find and the ZIP Code. If the name is not listed, you are advised to contact that firm and have them submit a request to be added to the database through the Central Registration Unit. Requests may be submitted by e-mail to cru@dir.ca.gov or by fax to (888) 822-9309. The direct link to the uniform assigned names main page is http://www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/eams/EAMS-LC/EAMS_ClaimsAdmins_Reps.htm Q: If the claims administrator does not have a uniform assigned name, can I just type the regular name in the field on and OCR form and submit it? A: If necessary, you may use the regular name until a uniform name is assigned. However, this will produce a scanning error, which will send the form to the unprocessed documents queue where it will have to be manually handled by a DWC employee. This will result in a delay until the participant can be registered in the uniform assigned names database. Q: We have several satellite offices, but mail is generated and received only at our main office. Do we need to add the satellite office locations to the uniform assigned names database? A: Based on your description of the function of the various offices, you do not need to register the satellite offices. The purpose of registering offices on the uniform assigned names database is to ensure that related parties are properly associated to their cases in EAMS. Q: Is there an FTP site available to download the uniform assigned name files? If so, how do I gain access? A: For those with FTP capability, the files are available via FTP to www.dir.ca.gov, anonymous login. Once you have logged onto the FTP site, request the file named EAMSClaimsAdmins.txt or EAMSReps.txt. Q: The format of the uniform assigned names seems unusual. How are the names generated? A: To fit within the available space, names are often abbreviated. Law firm names include no more than the first two principals’ last names. Sole practitioners are listed by their first name and then last name, unless they use only their last name or always use their first initial. Uniform names have no punctuation or special characters, only capital letters A through Z and spaces. Each uniform name in EAMS is a combination of the name of the office and the city in which the office is physically located. Example: ACCELERATED CLAIMS IRVINE. Address standardization is in accordance with United States Postal Service (USPS) standards. Additional information about the naming convention can be found at http://www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/EAMS/EAMS-LC/EAMS_ClaimsAdmins_Reps.htm. Q: In the space for case number on the document cover sheet, can I just type in the numerals since the box below for unit to be filed on must be checked? A: No. You should always enter the case number in its entirety, including the capitalized three-letter prefix. Example: ADJ1233433. About the OCR document separator sheet: Q: If the verification of signature and Proof of Service are on separate pages, should we include a document separator sheet for each? A: No. Both documents would go under a single separator sheet, with “Legal Documents” as the document type and “Proof of Service” as the document title.
A: E-forms go through an automatic batch process, which is run four times per day. If they successfully make it through that process they'll show up in EAMS following the batch process. This means that if you file something in the morning you should see it in the file that afternoon. If you file later in the day, you should see it in EAMS the next business day. From the ADJ case homepage, click on the tab at the top left of the screen to open the INT case homepage. Scroll down to Case Documents and click on the ADJ link. This will open FileNet, where all of the ADJ documents are stored. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the document you wish to look at. If your submission doesn’t make it through the batch process because of some sort of defect in the form, it will go into the unprocessed document queue where a DWC employee will either correct the error or notify you to correct the error and resubmit the batch. You can print the e-forms for service on the other parties by using the PDF print function at the top of the e-form. This is a new function that eliminates the need to print one tab at a time. About correspondence/serving parties: Q: Is there an OCR proof of service form on the Web site, or do we continue to use our own proof of service form? A. There is no proof of service OCR form. You will continue to use your own except in cases (such as DEU forms) where the proof of service is part of the form itself. Q: How would we file letters and petitions that are not listed on the OCR forms page of the Web site? Do they have to be double spaced? Are cover sheets and separator sheets still needed? A: If you file letters or documents that are not EAMS OCR forms (such as certain petitions), submit the documents with the proper OCR cover sheet and separator sheets, in a condition which is compatible with the district office scanners. The documents should be double-spaced except for captions, quotes, etc. You will find additional information in sections III and VIII of the OCR handbook at http://www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/EAMS/SampleFiles/EAMS_OCR%20handbook.pdf. Q: When a hearing date is selected while completing the e-form “Declaration of Readiness,” will the WCAB serve the notice of hearing or will the party requesting the hearing be expected to serve notice? A: A hearing notice will be generated by EAMS that will be sent out to the case participants. About lien claimant-specific questions: Q: Does the OCR “Notice and Request for Allowance of Lien” still need to be filed on green paper, or can it be submitted on white? A: No it does not need to be—and should not be done—on green paper. Per the regulations and the OCR forms handbook, all OCR forms are to be submitted on white paper in order to achieve the best scanning quality possible. Q: I do not always have the date of injury (DOI) available when I file a lien, and have been unable to file a lien using the e-forms without it. Our firm uses EDEX to access the information needed for lien filings, and often the DOI is not recorded. Is there any way to file an e-form lien without a DOI? A: At the top of the lien e-form and the e-form cover sheet, there are two radio or option buttons (the round variety that you click in) for specific injury and cumulative trauma injury. When you select one of the radio buttons, the other is automatically deselected, and you will have to enter a date in order to file the form. Once one of the radio buttons has been selected, you will not be able to deselect it and will only be able to toggle back and forth between them. If you DO NOT CLICK ON EITHER RADIO BUTTON, you will be able to file your form without entering a DOI. If you click on one of the radio buttons for specific or cumulative trauma and do not have a DOI, you will have to start over on a new e-form. Q: How would I file an e-form lien when there are multiple carriers? The form only allows one carrier to be entered. A: You will submit an attachment to your e-form lien. Use the unit ADJ, the document type MISC and the document title “CORRESPONDENCE – OTHER. |
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How you can help When you have a question about filing, email EAMSHelpDesk@dir.ca.gov. Our experts will assist you. When you have a concern or question related to EAMS, email EAMS@dir.ca.gov. We will make sure it gets to the right person. |
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| EAMS Insider is published every two weeks by the DWC Communications Office. It can also be found on the division’s Web site at www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/EAMS. Questions? Comments? Story ideas? Email EAMS@dir.ca.gov | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
EAMS Public Information Officer Peter Melton 510-286-7100 |
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”Update” icon next to them. The rest are new questions. 