Many times, the carrier will issue payments to you without prejudice. This means that the carrier is taking advantage of Section 21-a of the NYS Workers Compensation Law. Section 21-a allows the carrier to pay you without accepting your case. In other words, the carrier is asserting that the mere fact that they are issuing payments to you cannot be deemed an acceptance of liability for your claim. Rather, they are agreeing to issue payments to you while the record continues to develop or while they await further information.

This does not mean you will have to pay back the awards in the event that the carrier later asserts it is not liable. It simply means that the carrier is not accepting liability by making payments. The carrier may make payments without prejudice for up to one year. Unless the Carrier sends a notice of termination within the year, the payments are deemed an admission of liability.

Sometimes, the carrier may also grant certain treatment without prejudice. This usually pertains to treatment for body sites that are not presently established in your case. The insurance carrier is again saying that, while it is agreeing to pay for certain treatment, it is not accepting the liability for those body sites until the record is further developed. Again, you will not be responsible for the treatment in the event that the carrier later disputes liability for the body site.
Bethany Nicoletti

Email: barliss@mcvlaw.com

Phone: 315-471-1664

Bethany Nicoletti is a graduate of Ithaca College where she earned her B.A. in Communication Studies. She graduated cum laude from University at Buffalo Law School in 2013 and was admitted to the New York State Bar in the Fourth Judicial Department in 2014.