- What is a flat file and how does my company send it to the Board?
- Will a username and password be required for the FTP?
- How do I make sure my data is in the correct columns?
- Can we continue to send paper DB 820/829 forms and/or use the DB 820/829 Web Submission?
- What is an acknowledgment file and how does my company receive it from the Board?
- Will the existing Disability Benefits flat file format for proof of coverage submission be changed to indicate a statutory policy includes Paid Family Leave?
- How will the flat file format change to indicate a policy covers Disability and Paid Family Leave Benefits?
- How can I obtain a copy of the new flat file format for statutory Disability and Paid Family Leave Benefits?
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What is a flat file and how does my company send it to the Board?
A flat file is a data processing format that contains form data without any presentation format. To prepare to directly upload a flat file to the Board's Web Server, the company's computer staff writes the computer programs to produce the files in the specified format and then the programs are periodically run to prepare the files containing the POC (Proof of Coverage) data, for transmission to the Board. The files are manually uploaded to the Board's Web Server using an Internet browser.
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Will a username and password be required for the FTP?
Yes, after a file has been submitted, tested, and approved, you will be issued a username and password to FTP files in our production environment.
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How do I make sure my data is in the correct columns?
It is imperative that your data be prepared accordingly to the specifications in the record file layout. We highly recommend the use of a software tool (editor) that allows one to examine the content of data files that contain large record sizes.
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Can we continue to send paper DB 820/829 forms and/or use the DB 820/829 Web Submission?
Effective October 1, 2005, the Board will no longer accept paper DB-820/829 forms for statutory coverage. All transactions effecting or affecting a statutory Disability and Paid Family Leave Benefits policy must be submitted to the Board via either Flat File Transmission or the web. However, any given POC transaction should only be submitted via one method. In other words, do not send us duplicate transactions across methods.
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What is an acknowledgment file and how does my company receive it from the Board?
The DB 820/829 Acknowledgement File is generated by the Board for each DB 820/829 Flat File you send to the Board. The acknowledgement file name is identifical to the DB 820/829 flat file sent to the Board with the exception of the file extension. The acknowledgement file extension is ".ack". The acknowledgement file contains a record for every transaction included in the DB 820/829 flat file. Each record contains a transaction status indicating the acceptance or rejection of the transaction. If rejected, there is a comment field that contains the reason for the rejection.
The acknowledgement file may be obtained from the Board by connecting to the Board's FTP server and picking up the file. The file must then be DELETED.
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Will the existing Disability Benefits flat file format for proof of coverage submission be changed to indicate a statutory policy includes Paid Family Leave?
Yes. The Board has made the appropriate changes to the existing flat file format to include a field for coverage type.
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How will the flat file format change to indicate a policy covers Disability and Paid Family Leave Benefits?
The flat file format includes three coverage type indicators to identify the following three disability benefits policy types:- Coverage Type "1" - PFL and DB
- Coverage Type "2" - PFL Only
- Coverage Type "3" - DB Only
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How can I obtain a copy of the new flat file format for statutory Disability and Paid Family Leave Benefits?
A copy of the flat file format can be obtained by contacting DBPOC.Support@wcb.ny.gov.