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Division of Workers' Compensation

News and Updates

June 2009
  • New Informational Memoranda: DFS-03-2009 - Orders Setting Assessment Rates for the Workers’ Compensation Administration Trust Fund and Special Disability Trust Fund
  • A Hearing on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the Division’s Draft rule 69L-24 [124K PDF],  Insurers' Standards and Practices, will be held if requested within 21 days of the date the Notice was published. The purpose and effect of this rule chapter is to establish uniform guidelines under which the Division will monitor, audit, and investigate regulated entities to ensure compliance with statutory obligations under Chapter 440, F.S., including requirements to provide timely payment of workers’ compensation benefits to injured workers, to timely pay medical bills to providers, and to timely report workers' compensation data to the Department. The purpose and effect is also to establish uniform guidelines to penalize regulated entities for failure to provide timely payment of workers’ compensation benefits to injured workers, for failure to timely pay medical bills to providers, and for failure to timely report workers' compensation information or data to the Department, based on findings made during the process of monitoring, auditing and investigating those regulated entities.
    IF REQUESTED, the hearing will be held on Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 104 J Hartman Bldg., 2012 Capital Circle SE, Tallahassee, Florida. If a hearing is not requested, it will not be held.
  • Division Rule Workshop Notice: 69L-6.012, F.A.C. [15K PDF] - Notice of Election to be Exempt
  • The Division of Workers' Compensation will hold a rule workshop the purpose and effect of which is to amend Rule 69L-7.501, Florida Administrative Code, to adopt by reference the Florida Workers' Compensation Reimbursement Manual for Hospitals, 2009 Edition. The Florida Workers' Compensation Reimbursement Manual for Hospitals, 2009 Edition [1MB PDF] will incorporate Medicare’s Outpatient Hospital Prospective Payment System payment methodology for reimbursing hospitals for outpatient bills, with payment adjustment factors of 1.74 times the Medicare allowed amount for scheduled surgeries and 3.95 times the Medicare allowed amount for other specified compensable charges, as approved by the Three Member Panel at its November 20, 2008 public meeting. The proposed Manual also incorporates a definition for the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System, recognizes the Integrated Outpatient Code Editor and the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) edits and their updates from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System, and makes technical changes to include a new manual format, an expanded table of contents and chapters by topic.
    This rule workshop was noticed in the Friday, June 12, 2009 Florida Administrative Weekly and will be held on Tuesday, July 7, 1:00-4:00 pm., in Room 104J, 2012 Capital Circle SE, Tallahassee, FL. View the proposed manual: Florida Workers' Compensation Reimbursement Manual for Hospitals, 2009 Edition [1MB PDF]
  • Attention Business Owners and Employers: The Division is offering free classes regarding Florida’s Workers' Compensation law and Workplace Safety presented by the U.S. Dept. of Labor OSHA to business owners, licensed contractors and others who are interested. There are several dates and locations available around the State as indicated in the attached flyer: English | Spanish. While there is no fee, advanced registration is required to assure that you have a seat. Registration Form: English | Spanish. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available to those licensed by the DBPR - CILB, DBPR - ECLB, State Fire Marshall - Bureau of Fire Prevention, and the Florida Water Well Administration. For additional information you may email bocseminars@MyFloridaCFO.com or call (813) 221-6518.
  • A Hearing on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the Division of Workers' Compensation's Florida Workers' Compensation Medical Services Billing, Filing and Reporting Rule, 69L-7.602, Florida Administrative Code will be held if requested within 21 days of the date the Notice is published. The Notice is scheduled for publication in the June 12, 2009, Florida Administrative Weekly. If requested, the hearing will be held on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. until noon in room 104 J of the Hartman Bldg., 2012 Capital Circle SE, Tallahassee, Florida. If a hearing is not requested, it will not be held. For additional information please contact Samuel Willis at (850) 413-1898 or Samuel.Willis@myfloridacfo.com
  • The Division has submitted to the Three-Member Panel its Annual Report on Reimbursement Disputes and Overutilization [95K PDF].
  • EDI statistics (paper vs. electronic submissions) updated
May 2009
  • The Proof of Coverage EDI and Claims EDI sections have been updated
  • New Informational Memoranda: DFS-01-2009 [245K PDF] - Wage Loss Discount Factor Tables, May 20, 2009
  • The Bureau of Data Quality and Collection page has been updated. All bureau information can be found under About the Division.
  • A Hearing on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the Division of Workers' Compensation’s Rules for Self Insurers Under the Workers Compensation Act, 69L-5, Florida Administrative Code, will be held if requested within 21 days of the date the Notice was published. Rule Chapter 69L-5, F.A.C. is being amended to concurrently repeal and replace all existing rules with new rules which have been restructured and renumbered to promote clarity and efficiencies to the process by which self-insured employers comply with the duties and obligations associated with the privilege of self-insuring pursuant to Chapter 440, Florida Statutes. If requested, the hearing will be held on Wednesday, June 24, 2009; 10:00am – 12:00pm in Room 104 J Hartman Bldg., 2012 Capital Circle SE, Tallahassee, Florida. If a hearing is not requested, it will not be held.
  • The following forms have been updated: SI-5 Self-Insurers Payroll Report, SI-6 Sample Self-Insurers Irrevocable Letter of Credit, SI-20 Report of Outstanding Workers' Compensation Liabilities, SI-23 Service Company Annual Report Form. All Division forms can be found under Rules and Forms.
  • Updated files and information have been added to the Claims EDI section
  • The DWC-250 form [36K PDF] (Notice of Election to be Exempt) has been updated again
  • The Division is pleased to announce the publication of its first research brief, which focuses on the effects of the changes to the compensability requirements in SB 50A, which was the 2003 workers’ compensation legislative reform bill.
  • Compliance statistics have been updated
  • Employee Assistance Office information updated
  • EDI statistics (paper vs. electronic submissions) updated
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
  • The Division of Insurance Fraud, Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Fraud and the Division of Workers’ Compensation, Bureau of Compliance issued a Joint Report [3.7M PDF] summarizing their respective efforts and activities in combating workers’ compensation fraud and employer non-compliance for the period of July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008.
  • The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has proposed a rate increase in response to a recent Florida Supreme Court Decision involving attorney fees. The NCCI estimates that the full impact of this decision will be an increase in overall Florida workers’ compensation system costs of 18.6%. The NCCI anticipates that it will take two years for the full impact to be realized, and therefore proposes a first year increase of half of the full impact. On November 14, 2008, NCCI submitted its filing for a proposed first year rate level increase of 8.9% to Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR). The NCCI rate filing is proposed to be effective on March 1, 2009, and is currently under review at OIR. More » [62K PDF]
    This rate filing comes on the heels of NCCI’s recently approved annual rate filing wherein the NCCI reduced Florida workers’ compensation rates by 18.6% effective January 1, 2009. The new overall workers' compensation rate level will result in a cumulative 60.5% average decrease since reforms to the workers’ compensation system were implemented in 2003. More » [103K PDF]
  • The Office of Medical Services page has been updated
  • New Informational Memorandum: DFS-02-2008 [22K PDF] - Maximum Workers' Compensation Rate, Effective January 1, 2009
  • A Hearing on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the Division of Workers' Compensation’s EDI Rule, 69L-56, Florida Administrative Code, will be held if requested within 21 days of the date the Notice was published. The proposed rule amendment addresses Electronic Proof of Coverage filing requirements for Employee leasing companies, as well as revisions made to EDI forms and EDI Implementation Manuals. If requested, the hearing will be held on Wednesday, January 21, 2009; 10:00am – 12:00pm in room 104 J Hartman Bldg., 2012 Capital Circle SE, Tallahassee, Florida. If a hearing is not requested, it will not be held.
  • The Division of Workers' Compensation will hold a rule workshop to amend rule 69L-24 F.A.C. Insurers' Standards and Practices. The workshop will be held on Tuesday, January 6, 2009; 10:00am - 12:00pm in room 104 J Hartman Bldg., 2012 Capital Circle SE, Tallahassee, Florida. The proposed rule amendment establishes guidelines to monitor, audit and investigate regulated entities for compliance with requirements of Chapter 440, Florida Statutes, regarding timely payment of benefits to injured workers, timely payment of medical bills, and timely reporting of data to the Department, and establish penalty guidelines for assessment of penalties for failure to comply with the statutory requirements.
  • EDI statistics (paper vs. electronic submissions) updated
November 2008
  • The new Online Workers' Compensation Insurance Registration site is now available on the homepage under Popular Items
  • The Bureau of Compliance is offering free workers’ compensation and workplace safety classes, and more than 100 Florida employers and licensed contractors have attended since the classes began on October 1, 2008, some earning continuing education credits. The Bureau will offer 11 classes quarterly throughout Florida, and the first quarter 2009 schedule will be available in December.
  • Bureau of Compliance statistics have been updated for November
  • The National Council on Compensation Insurance, Inc. (NCCI) has issued its analysis on the proposed medical fee reimbursement changes for hospital outpatient services. This analysis will be presented at the Three-Member Panel meeting on Thursday, November 20 at 1:00 pm in room 116 of the Larsen Building in Tallahassee, Florida. The Three-Member Panel will consider testimony and comments regarding the proposed adoption of Medicare’s Outpatient Prospective Payment System in concert with determined payment adjustment factors as the methodology for reimbursing hospitals 60% and 75% of usual and customary charges for outpatient services provided to Florida’s injured workers.
  • The Division of Workers’ Compensation will hold a rule workshop to amend the rule 69L-56 F.A.C. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Requirements for Proof Coverage and Claims (Non-Medical). The workshop will be held on Monday, Nov. 17, 2008; 10:00am - 12:00pm in room 104 J Hartman Bldg., 2012 Capital Circle SE, Tallahassee, Florida. The proposed rule amendment addresses Electronic Proof of Coverage filing requirements for Employee leasing companies, as well as revisions made to forms and EDI Implementation Manuals.
October 2008
  • The Workers' Compensation System Guide (WC System Guide) has been written and published in accordance with section 440.207, Florida Statutes. Its purpose is to provide a summary and overview of the Workers Compensation Law. It is intended to educate and assist all stakeholders in the workers' compensation system as to their rights and responsibilities and to provide resources to persons needing direction and support with the workers' compensation process and system. The Workers' Compensation Guide is not intended to replace or supersede the workers' compensation law (Chapter 440, Florida Statutes) or Florida workers' compensation case law.
  • Bureau of Compliance statistics have been updated
  • The Medical EDI section has been updated
  • Several additions have been made to the Claims EDI area
  • EDI statistics (paper vs. electronic submissions) updated
September 2008
August 2008
  • Business owners, employers and licensed contractors – The Division of Workers’ Compensation is offering free classes on the requirements of Florida’s workers’ compensation laws and workplace safety. Continuing education credits are available to contractors whose license requires continuing education in workers’ compensation and workplace safety. See the attached flyer [20K PDF] for a list of scheduled classes and locations. Advanced registration is required. The Registration Form [74K PDF] may be submitted via email or faxed to 813-233-3742.
  • The "Expert Medical Advisors needed" section has been updated
  • Complete 2007-2008 Bureau of Compliance statistics are available
  • Notice of Proposed Rule 69L-7.020 [21K PDF] (Florida Workers’ Compensation Health Care Provider Reimbursement Manual) - To view draft manual, click here.
  • Fatal Work-Related Injuries in Florida, 2007 statistics have been added to the statistics area
  • Bureau of Compliance information and district offices have been updated. For information on other Division of Workers' Compensation bureaus, see About the Division.
July 2008
  • EDI statistics (paper vs. electronic submissions) updated
  • A slideshow entitled FL Claims EDI Release 3 EDI History & Overview [5.4MB PowerPoint] has been added to the Claims EDI page.
  • Most of the older information from the homepage has been removed, but is still available on this page and/or elsewhere around the site.
  • The Division has published the assessment rates for the Workers' Compensation Administration Trust Fund (WCATF) and Special Disability Trust Fund (SDTF), in Informational Bulletin DFS-01-2008 [252K PDF] and Assessment Rate Orders number 95975-08-WC and 95978-08-WC. The assessment rate for the WCATF will remain at 0.25% for calendar year 2009. For the 2008-2009 fiscal year, the SDTF assessment rate remains at 4.52%.
June 2008
  • New Informational Memorandum: DFS-01-2008 [252K PDF] - Orders Setting Assessment Rates for the Workers’ Compensation Administration Trust Fund and Special Disability Trust Fund
  • The footers on all the Division pages have been updated with the correct contact information
  • Bureau of Compliance statistics have been updated once again
  • Updated Mileage Reimbursement forms (MR-2) are available under the 69L-26 tab (Employee Assistance and Ombudsman Office) in the Rules and Forms section
  • Contact information for the various Bureau of Compliance district offices has been updated
  • The Three-Member Panel Meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 19, 2008, in Tallahassee, Florida has been CANCELLED. The purpose of the meeting was for the Panel to consider testimony and comments regarding its proposed adoption of Medicare’s Outpatient Prospective Payment System and appropriate payment adjustment factors as the methodology for reimbursing hospitals 60% and 75% of usual and customary charges for outpatient services provided to Florida’s injured workers. If adopted, the new reimbursement methodology would be an amendment to Rule 69L-7.501, F.A.C.

For older news, see the News Archive