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What is a flat file and how does my company send it to the Board?
Flat File formats have fixed record lengths or record segments. Each data element has assigned character positions within each record. Usually the fields and/or records are expanded to the maximum length. Delimiters (special characters that separate data fields) are not included in the flat file transmissions, since the data is identified by the position it occupies in the file. Proof of Coverage filings may be submitted by selecting an approved third-party vendor to submit files in the IAIABC EDI format. In addition, the Board's web-based IAIABC Proof of Coverage data entry application allows submission of individual transactions by registered users.
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What does "IAIABC" stand for?
IAIABC is an abbreviation for the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions.
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What reporting options are available?
The two electronic reporting options are EDI submission and online web form submission. Paper forms are not accepted.
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Will carriers receive confirmation of their EDI submissions from the WCB?
Yes, acknowledgment files will be generated for transactions submitted via the Board's web-based IAIABC Proof of Coverage data entry application. The acknowledgment for each transaction indicates whether the transaction was accepted or rejected. If a transaction was accepted, the data in the transaction was applied to the NY policy and coverage records. If a transaction was rejected, no changes were made to the NY policy and coverage records. Rejections need to be analyzed, corrected, and resubmitted by the insurer. Some of the reasons for rejection include invalid or missing data, incorrect transaction type, duplicate records, invalid date relationship, and records not found.
Transactions submitted through FTP flat files are acknowledged and sent back to the approved third-party vendor in a flat file which contains a record for each transaction, a status code to indicate whether the transaction was accepted or rejected, and the reason for rejection. The flat file format used by the Board was developed by the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) EDI Task Group, POC Subcommittee. An explanation of the data elements and specifications for this EDI format can be found in the IAIABC EDI Implementation Guide for POC 2.1. The POC 2.1 Implementation Guide can be obtained from the "IAIABC website" by navigating to the Implementation Guides found under the EDI section.