In this issue ...

• NYC Council Passes Bill to Establish Insurance Affordability Office
• NYC Hearing on Junk Fee Proposed Rule
• DFS Issues Alert on Active Cyberattack
• WCB Updates Forms OC-RR and OC-110A
• WCB Proposes Repeal of Health Care Provider Practice Committees and Medical Appeals Unit
• WCB Proposes Repeal of Certification of Questions
• WCB Proposes Repeal of Third-Party Recovery Regulation
• WCB Adopts Regulation to Allow Payment Without Accepting Liability

NYC Council Passes Bill to Establish Insurance Affordability Office

Yesterday, the New York City Council passed legislation to establish an Office of Insurance Affordability. The bill, Int 0685B was amended from its original version, which instead sought to create an Office of Insurance Accountability. The intended purpose of the office is stated to be to: provide general information on insurance to consumers and guidance on selecting policies; describe how consumers can submit complaints to DFS; conduct a study and report on insurance issues faced by consumers; and recommend actions to both city and state officials to benefit consumers of insurance. NYIA will continue to track the implementation of the bill and keep members informed.

NYC Hearing on Junk Fee Proposed Rule

The New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) held a hearing last week on the proposed rule to prohibit the use of junk fees. The rule would make it a deceptive and unconscionable trade practice to tack extra “junk fees” on to the advertised price of a good or service. Business entities that testified raised concerns about how the rules would work in practice, including how to avoid creating confusing prices for consumers. Individual consumers said they supported the rule as a way to combat drip pricing and help consumers compare prices. It is unclear whether the agency intends for the rule to apply to insurance pricing at this juncture. NYIA will continue to monitor the proposal, engage accordingly, and notify members of any developments.

DFS Issues Alert on Active Cyberattack

This week, DFS issued an alert warning DFS-regulated entities about an active cyberattack exploiting a known vulnerability in N-able’s N-central remote monitoring and management system used by some managed service providers (MSPs). Entities should determine whether they or their third-party service providers use N-central and, if so, work with those providers to review activity for unauthorized access, apply security updates and mitigation measures, and assess whether systems or credentials were compromised. DFS also emphasized that senior management must oversee third-party cybersecurity risks and reminded regulated entities that any cybersecurity incidents, including those originating with third-party service providers, must continue to be reported to DFS. For more information please visit DFS’s Cybersecurity Resource Center.

WCB Updates Forms OC-RR and OC-110A

The Workers Compensation Board (WCB) has updated Forms OC-RR and OC-110A, which can now be completed and submitted electronically. The prior OC-110A will only be accepted through September 9, 2026, while valid wet-signature authorizations already on file remain effective. The updated OC-110A allows two authorized recipients, requires witness information, eliminates the original wet-signature requirement, and clarifies representative signatures, while all records requests must be submitted using Form OC-RR. The new forms can be found on the WCB website. If you have any questions, please contact officeofgeneralcounsel@wcb.ny.gov.

WCB Proposes Repeal of Health Care Provider Practice Committees and Medical Appeal Units

The WCB has proposed the repeal of several regulations as a part of Governor Hochul's EXPRESSNY initiative to amend or repeal burdensome, redundant, or outdated regulations. The proposal would remove regulations concerning health care provider practice committees and medical appeal units, which have not been used since 2020. Comments on the proposal can be submitted to regulations@wcb.ny.gov until October 4, 2026. If you would like NYIA to submit comments on your behalf, please contact Staci at ssteinfeld@nyia.org by September 23, 2026.

WCB Proposes Repeal of Certification of Questions

The WCB has also proposed the repeal of the regulation which allows a workers compensation law judge to develop a record and submit findings of fact to the board for determination when a claim involves novel, important, or public policy questions of law, as part of EXPRESSNY. Comments on the proposal can be submitted to regulations@wcb.ny.gov until October 11, 2026. If you would like NYIA to submit comments on your behalf, please contact Staci at ssteinfeld@nyia.org by October 2, 2026.

WCB Proposes Repeal of Third-Party Recovery Regulation

The WCB has also proposed the repeal of the regulation concerning third party recovery as part of EXPRESSNY. Comments on the proposal can be submitted to regulations@wcb.ny.gov until October 11, 2026. If you would like NYIA to submit comments on your behalf, please contact Staci at ssteinfeld@nyia.org by October 2, 2026.

WCB Adopts Regulation to Allow Payment Without Accepting Liability

The WCB has adopted a regulation to allow payers to provisionally pay for medical care under this section without admitting liability. The changes will conform the new regulation to the statute, which was signed by Governor Hochul last year and will take effect on January 1, 2027.