State of Connecticut Workers' Compensation Commission

MEMORANDUM NO. 2021-03

WCC Reopening Guidelines

 

TO: WCC Commissioners, District Administrators, Claimants, Self-Insureds, Insurance Carriers, Attorneys, Unions, and Advisory Board Members
FROM: Stephen M. Morelli, Chairman
DATE: May 18, 2021
RE: WCC Reopening Guidelines

 

In an effort to comply with Governor Lamont's efforts to reopen to a new normal working environment, the Workers' Compensation Commission will be instituting the following changes:
 

  1. Effective June 1, 2021, all WCC offices will be open to the public for the filing of documents and assistance with claims. Hearings will continue to be done telephonically through June 30, 2021.
     
  2. Effective July 1, 2021, all WCC hearings will be held in-person. The pandemic forced all hearings to be held remotely out of necessity as a means of continuing to serve the people of Connecticut. Overall, it has successfully served that purpose. However, we believe that to best serve our mission to adjudicate the claims of Connecticut's injured workers, we need to return to in-person hearings. Additionally, WCC does not currently have the technological capacity to manage a hybrid docket of both remote and in-person hearings. WCC's IT Department will continue to work on solutions which allow for the potential to institute dockets which can accommodate requests for both remote and in-person hearings in the future.

WCC will continue to work closely with various parties, the Governor's Office, Office of Policy Management and Department of Administrative Services to ensure that policies are in place to keep the public and our employees safe and healthy.