Source: http://www.wcb.ny.gov/content/ebiz/eclaims/sec21a-claims-paid-without-liability.jsp
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 17:54:28+00:00

Document:
the claimant and the Board are notified that such payments are made "without liability."
Use of the §21-a option has increased. In addition, on or after January 1, 2019, carriers will be required to indicate whether benefits are being paid with liability (L) and the claim is accepted or paid without liability (W) under WCL §21-a. These Agreement to Compensate codes replace the former Claim Type Codes. When a carrier selects an Agreement to Compensate Code of L on a First Report of Injury (FROI) and/or an L or W code on a Subsequent Report of Injury (SROI), the carrier is accepting the case or paying without prejudice pursuant to WCL §21-a. Accordingly, the Board has developed a process and timelines incorporating WCL §21-a rules and the eClaims protocol.
IMPORTANT: The L agreement to compensate code indicates acceptance of the claim. When a SROI is filed with an L, the Board will mark this case as accepted for the body part(s) identified in the SROI.
To invoke WCL §21-a, the carrier must use the W code on the first SROI that is filed.
Any subsequent SROI filed with a W will not be accepted.
When a carrier has filed a SROI-04. A subsequent SROI reporting payment to the claimant with a W will be accepted, as long as it is filed more than 10 days before the Pre-Hearing Conference on the controversy. NOTE: In such cases the carrier may still be subject to late payment penalties imposed by the Board's Monitoring Unit.
A carrier may not use the W code in death cases, or cases that are medical only.
Accept the case: An L filing after the first SROI with a W, indicates that the carrier has accepted the case and the case will no longer be marked as subject to WCL §21-a. The carrier should make this filing using a SROI-02.
Controvert the case: A carrier that wishes to controvert the case after a W filing, must file a SROI-SJ before filing the SROI-04. Filing the SROI-SJ satisfies the carrier's obligation under WCL §21-a(3). Failure to timely or properly follow this procedure may result in a case being deemed accepted pursuant to WCL §21-a(4).
Accept the case by allowing a year to pass: When the insurance carrier's initial SROI has a W designation, and 365 days have passed from the first benefit payment issue date, and the carrier has not properly controverted the case, the case is deemed accepted. The carrier must file a SROI-02 with the L designation.
Object to payments of a medical bill (C-8.1B) stating treatment provided was not causally related to the compensable injury or claim has been controverted and there is no controversy (FROI/SROI 04) present in the case.
Failure to continue payments consistent with the claimant's treating provider's medical reports, including reducing payments based on an IME.
For cases with a date of accident on or after 1/1/19, the acceptance of a claim on the FROI will change from the Claim Type Code to the Agreement to Compensate Code (this is a new field for the FROI). There are two ways a claim may be accepted: L - With Liability or W- Without Liability.
Indemnity benefits are being paid pursuant to §25(1)(f).
For dates of accident prior to 1/1/19, the acceptance of a claim will remain to be based on the Claim Type Code.

References: §21
 §21
 §21
 §21
 §21
 §21
 §21
 §21
 §25