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Thread Title: EDEX & WALK THROUGHS
Created On Wednesday April 30, 2008 8:31 AM


PRCHICK91910
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Wednesday April 30, 2008 8:31 AM

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A few of my defense atty's are telling me that with EAMS that walk throughs will be history and that the EAMS will take the place of EDEX.
Any truth to this?

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davidd
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Wednesday April 30, 2008 8:36 AM

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No.

Follow WCC news on EAMS/EDEX to stay abreast - rumors unfounded.

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David DePaolo
President, Editor in Chief
www.workcompcentral.com

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TOBDNCNG@aol.com
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Wednesday April 30, 2008 12:02 PM

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Hope this helps.... It is the actual March edition of EAMS Insider. Thought it might help some who have questions. And you can go to the forums.
http://www.dir.ca.gov/DWC/EAMS/EAMS.htm
http://www.dir.ca.gov/DWC/EAMS/EAMS_Insider/EAMS_InsiderMarch.htm

Info on DWC Website:

Welcome to EAMS Insider, the newsletter about the Electronic Adjudication Management System (EAMS).

As the Division of Workers Compensation prepares for EAMS, it has fielded many questions from injured workers, employers, attorneys, insurers, lien claimants, and others about the new system. This newsletter was created to answer those questions and share information. Every other month, EAMS Insider will provide information on new developments and what to expect during this transition. Bulletins will also be sent to subscribers for important announcements. (Sign up to be a subscriber at EAMS@dir.ca.gov.)


What you need to know

For a quick primer on EAMS, point your browser to www.dwc.ca.gov/eams. There, you will find a project overview, fact sheet, FAQs and a glossary. In the future, DWC will post updates, how to guides, an application demo and other useful tools.

EAMS is being built in three stages: During the first stage, which began in late 2006, DWC signed a contract with Deloitte Consulting to design and build the system. Stage two, which began in November 2007 and is currently in progress, involves testing, evaluating and refining the system. DWC staff will be trained to use EAMS shortly before it goes live for DWC internal users in late summer 2008. In stage three, scheduled for fall 2008, DWC will begin phasing in external users. Eventually, EAMS access will be extended to all external usersthe timetable for that is currently being determined.

This thoughtful phase-in process gives external users time to prepare and will give DWC time to manage EAMS resources, roll out log-ins in an organized manner, and ensure that existing cases proceed expeditiously.

What impact will the DWC internal go-live date have on external users? There will be new regulations covering court processes (the proposed regulations posted online for public comment in November 2007 are currently being redrafted), revised forms and form submission procedures. New regulations will include provisions for paper filing of new forms and for electronic filing as external users are fully phased into EAMS.

At DWC internal go-live, external participants will continue to file on paper using new forms that employ optical character recognition (OCR). The OCR forms will be available online on the EAMS Web page. Forms and documents will be scanned into EAMS by DWC employees at district offices. EAMS Insider will provide more information on this as it becomes available.

DWC employees will get intensive training for EAMS this summer, but district offices will remain open. While staffing will be reduced at times, business will still be conducted. As soon as the training schedule has been finalized, each district office will set times for hearings and other matters. EAMS Insider will share these updates as well.

Keeping the public involved

On March 5, DWC hosted a public meeting at its Oakland headquarters to discuss the compatibility of EAMS with other software systems. This was the first in a series of meetings on this topic. More than 70 people attended, and their questions were transcribed by DWC court reporters. EAMS Insider will compile the questions and answers and add them to the EAMS FAQs in the near future.

The meeting focused on two topics: submitting forms in the EAMS environmentas discussed in what you need to knowand the effect of EAMS on the electronic data exchange system (EDEX).

While EDEX will not continue in its current format because case information will be stored in EAMSnot the WCAB online system that currently feeds EDEXthe DWC is committed to ensuring that an accountable and secure means of providing permissible information to requestors continues to be available when EAMS goes live. Several options for this were discussed and an advisory group is being formed on the topic.

Additionally, EAMS includes a general public search function, which allows users to search for case information by case number, injured worker name, date of birth, date of injury, address or employer name at no cost.

How you can help

District offices are currently preparing paper files for scanning into the new system. Each paper sheet in the file must be placed in the correct order to make documents easily accessible. DWC requests that if you ask to see the paper file you do not reorder the pages. Please return the file just as it was given to you.

Also, please do not use staples when submitting paper documents to DWC. Staples must be removed before scanning, and DWC wants to speed up the process, not slow it down.

DWC is also preparing its database of law firms and attorneys so they will be able to receive notices and other information through EAMS. Ensuring the division has the correct information in a standardized format will require assistance. Stay tuned for an announcement of what practitioners can do to help.

Change for the better

Ever gone through a change that might have been difficult at the time but appreciated later? Many library patrons initially missed card catalogs, for instance, but soon realized the benefits of improved searching on computers. Every other month, Insider will publish a personal story of change for the better. The first contributor is attorney Linda Atcherley.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
By Linda Atcherley

Old habits die hard, particularly for someone raised in countries where TV was either non-existent or limited to very few hours per day; where it was a pleasant surprise if water came out when you turned the tap; who learned to type on an 1929 Royal typewriter; to whom an IBM Selectric was a giant leap forward; and where the principal word processor in the first law firm I worked was an ancient Wang system with floppy discs large enough to serve as flying saucers in a bad science fiction movie.

On one of my forays onto the path less traveled I managed to collect an associates degree in computer science, which actually held me in good stead when I started working for Ludecke, Denton, McGrath & Cortes in my second year of law school. It was at that point that technology became a help rather than a burden.

The first step was to get everyone their own computer and printer rather than fight for the one or two Wang stations. It took a while to train on the new word processing system, the downside being that I was the one they came to for help, rather than reading the manual. The next step was to tie the machines together, which worked fine. Then came the debacle of the case management system. No matter how fine a system or how efficient in theory, it cant work if people simply revolt and revert to their old comfortable ways.

Years later, we tried again with a more intuitive case management system. And this time, from the top down (top being me) we made sure that the form letters were entered, and nothing was done on old files without the case information being entered. All new cases were entered as well, and since I did the intake, that was pretty much assured. After data entry was done, reports and letters became a breeze.

Cell phones allowed me to spend time out of my office taking care of my husband during his illness and still make those oh so necessary calls. A laptop computer allowed me to work even when I was forced away from the office.

Not that there werent hiccups. I found out how necessary back up was when typing a 20-page brief and the dog dislodged the power supply, thereby losing the brilliant thoughts put down without once hitting save. Similarly, when the office computers crashed, we lost years of data. We now have multiple back up systems.

The days of having rooms filled with books for research are gone. With Lexis and the click of a mouse, I can search to my hearts delight. Searches are more productive and quicker than the hours once spent, albeit joyfully, with the books in the firms libraries.

Scanning has made life easier via attaching documents into the case management file. Once the documents are scanned in, you can review them without having to drag the 500-pound gorilla out of its file cabinet cage. Being able to remotely access my computer helped when I was in Sacramento during my year as president of the Applicants Attorneys Association. My phone became a PDA with all the contact and calendar information as well as the capability of sending and receiving e-mail. The only things that scare me now are the security risk if the phone is lost or stolen, someone hacking into the system, and my being too dependant on a system that is all too subject to whims and fancies of its own, wreaking havoc in my neatly ordered life. Otherwise, technology is well on its way to freeing up space and time. I am hoping one day to emulate the ad with the person with his laptop on the beach under a palm tree, relaxed and carefree.

Linda Atcherley is a San Diego-based attorney specializing in workers compensation and personal injury. She was the president of the California Applicants Attorneys Association from 2006-7.


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TOBDNCNG@aol.com
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Wednesday April 30, 2008 12:04 PM

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From the EAMS blog, only post there...

4/28/2008 10:17:41 AM EST
Easing into EAMS
Posted by Collen Casey
Colleen Casey
I. Overview of the System

DWC is entering the digital age. The Electronic Adjudication Management System (EAMS) will allow us to switch from paper to paperless in a gradual three-step process.

Phase 1 - Creation of the EAMS system
Phase 2 - Internal use by DWC employees
Phase 3 - External use by the entire community
EAMS is built and ready to go. Phase 2 of the process has begun. Over the next several months, DWC employees will undergo extensive innovative training on use of the new system. The district offices will remain open during this period and will handle a reduced calendar. At least one WCALJ will be available at each office to conduct a scaled back version of DWC business. Training will be completed by August 25, 2008 and EAMS will "go live" internally, allowing all DWC employees to make full use of their new program.

External users (the workers compensation community) will continue to use paper documents and will be phased in gradually over time. Although external users won't immediately be phased into the full electronic filing environment, DWC's internal go-live will impact external users in a number of ways.

II. New Regulations

New regulations are currently in development to help users navigate EAMS. Most of the regs look just like their former counterparts, except they've been modified for use with computers. For instance, the new "walk through" reg (8 CCR ᄃ10280) looks very similar to the old "walk through" reg (8 CCR ᄃ10890), but there is now a distinction between a "case opening" settlement document and a walk through document in a case that has already been opened.

During Phase 2, it will be a two-day process to walk through a "case opening" document. A party will hand-deliver to the district office, a "case opening" walk-through petition, by noon on the day before their walk-through, to allow time for staff to scan the papers into the system and to set up the file on line. The next day, the party will proceed directly to the assigned walk-through judge for processing of their request.

For a walk through document in a case that has already been opened, it will be a one-day process. The party shall file the document "directly with the WCALJ at the date and time of the walk-through." (8 CCR ᄃ10280) In both cases, the moving party must notify all other parties of the date and time of the walk-through by email or FAX no later than noon, three court days prior to the walk-through. This will give all parties notice and the opportunity to object to the walk-through document.

Another reg, "Form and Size Requirements for Filing Documents" went from two paragraphs (8 CCR ᄃ10392), to two pages, (8 CCR ᄃ10232). In the olden days, as long as the document was on paper, rather than carved stone, it worked. Scanning machines are a lot more picky. They require black ink, print in font that has feet (serif font) and is at least 12 points in size. It's nothing new, really. Every other court in the state has been mandating this for years. Even so, handwritten documents will be allowed for unrepresented parties.

III. New Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Forms

In Phase 2, when DWC goes live with EAMS internally, the majority of the community will continue to file on paper, but will use the new forms. The new forms range from initial "cover sheets" to new "Compromise & Release Agreements." They are similar to the old forms, but with supermarket-like bar codes that employ optical character recognition (OCR). OCR formatting, along with the use of cover sheets and separator sheets, allows the forms to be recognized by EAMS and to be properly indexed within the electronic file.

The OCR forms will be accessed from the DWC Web site (www.dwc.ca.gov) and will be mandatory when the regulations become final. Because use of the OCR forms is a vital part of creating a case in EAMS, the division is counting on the workers' comp community to use the new forms beginning August 25, 2008, the date of the internal go-live.

Parties will complete the OCR forms on their own computers (or by hand for unrepresented parties) and will file the documents on paper at their local district office. A DWC employee will then scan the paper forms into the system, which will allow DWC personnel (judges, rehab counselors, I&A, DEU raters, etc.) to use the documents in the digital format.

The workers' compensation community breathed a collective sigh of relief when they found out that the online forms would be compatible with their current database programs. No need to rush out and buy a whole new software package to use EAMS. All you need is a computer and access to the Internet.

IV. A New & Improved Way to Litigate

Scanned DORs will trigger conference and expedited hearing dates and notices will be served on parties in the manner of their choice, snail mail, FAX or email.

Trial dates will be selected manually at the conference, in much the same way as they are selected now, except that a computer will be used, instead of that massive Gregorian Age calendaring book. During this interim Phase 2 period, trials will be conducted in a hybrid format, whereby Judges will use a digital version of EAMS, while the parties will still use their paper files.

The new system will look a lot like the old system, except that it will be based on computers, rather than paper, saving the environment, time, space and money for everyone.
This blog has been approved by the California Division of Workers Compensation
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Glowing,

Marygrace~

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PRCHICK91910
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Thursday May 01, 2008 6:57 AM

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David & Marygrace,

Thank you both for your replies.

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TOBDNCNG@aol.com
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Thursday May 01, 2008 9:57 AM

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You are more than welcome! I want to keep a positive attitude about this EAMS thing because it is coming whether we want it or not. It won't help to mumble and gripe about it.

There will be glitches, of course, but we will get through them, with time and patience.

I was a part of the roll out of the State wide foster care computerized program. There were definitely problems. In fact, because CMS lost so many contacts for a while, I kept my entries in Word for a long time. Then, if they weren't there, I could just copy and paste what I had inputted. Yes, double and triple work were sometimes required, but as the system moved on, they made the necessary changes and we bumped along. We even had one whole month that we didn't have access except for about 3 days.

One thing I did find it that there was much more paperwork involved in the end. We were never paperless, were were paper MORE. A typical 30 page Court report became 50-60. However, it was because we had much more information in the report that was automatically generated - very necessary information - such as school info, shots, Dr. visits, parent and grandparent info, etc. So, it took time to get all the info in, and in the long run, it was good info to have for the kids in the system. Really though, it was done so that the Counties could bill the Feds & State for the care they provided. Bean counters put it together mostly and when the actual Social Work component got more prominent, well, it got better.

Changes take time, and although the system isn't perfect, it never will be either. There will always be changes. It is coming though and I look forward to IW's have more access to their files and DWC moving into a more competent system to track things. I am guessing that 10 years from now, there will be another new system that will be brought in. We will go through the same thing then too.

OK, enough rambling... I will continue to post whatever I find out here too.

Glowing,

Marygrace~

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davidd
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Wednesday May 14, 2008 4:17 AM

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Just to keep folks abreast - DWC is now in the work up stage of an EAMS-EDEX conversion interface.

I can't tell you all that is going on right now because of the fluidity of everything, but basically the CA work comp community will have the best in class - DWC case management will be awesome with EAMS, and with vendor supported EDEX interface/conversion with EAMS, the system user will have awesome new capabilities and will really move things in to the modern era.

I'm very excited about what this means in terms of efficiencies. Sure there will be adjustments as we (the vendor community and DWC) learn how people end up using the systems we are developing and as folks get through the education/intimidation stage - but in less than a couple of years these will all be moot.

Case and claims management will improve dramatically, and the cost of doing so will decline dramatically - which is what is supposed to happen when technology is implemented correctly.

So, just bear with a little pain for a short while - things will improve ... dramatically.

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David DePaolo
President, Editor in Chief
www.workcompcentral.com

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