WCIO WEBSITE ANNOUNCEMENT
DATE: 11/13/09
The Workers
Compensation Insurance Organizations (WCIO) is pleased to announce the redesigned
WCIO Web site which now includes improved features and new products including a
WCIO Data Dictionary.
What is the WCIO?
The WCIO is
a voluntary association of statutorily authorized or licensed rating, advisory,
or data service organizations that collect workers compensation insurance
information in one or more states. The
purpose of the WCIO is to provide a forum for the exchange of information about
workers compensation insurance.
The WCIO
develops and publishes the Workers Compensation Data Specifications Manual
which is a compilation of several sets of specifications that provide
standardized formats for electronic exchange of information between Data
Collection Organizations (DCOs) and their members.
WCIO Web Site Changes
Using innovative
technologies, the WCIO is able to provide easier navigation, better access to
our products, and updated information about the WCIO. We encourage you to visit the site at www.wcio.org to see what is new. Several of the changes came as a result of
feedback from our users. For example, we
have modified the flow of information by including individual pages for the
products, and added links to each of the pages which are available on the left
side of each page. This will reduce the
amount of scrolling and allow users to see everything that is available.
WCIO Web Site Products
The WCIO
Web site includes a variety of products and research tools that can assist
Workers’ Compensation professionals with their daily activities. The following highlights just some of them.
·
WCIO Workers Compensation Data Specifications Manual
The WCIO Workers Compensation Data Specifications Manual
encompasses several sets of electronic data specifications.
·
WCIO Data Specification Code Sheets
The code sheets are a quick-reference list of the approved
codes for each data element in the specifications.
·
Injury Description Table - Part/Nature/Cause
Various workers compensation entities include the
Part/Nature/Cause codes as part of their reporting standard. The Part/Nature/Cause codes are used to
identify the part of body, nature of injury, and cause of loss when reporting
workers’ compensation injuries. The
listing has been developed by the WCIO to serve as the official reference for
the industry.
·
Policy and Statistical Edit Error Tables
The Error Tables are used for DCO reporting of statistical
and policy errors through the electronic data specification WCCRIT.
·
Professional Employer Organization (PEO) Applicable Code Chart by State
The employee leasing policy type code is a one-digit code on
WCPOLS which identifies the type of employee leasing policy being
reported. The chart has been developed
by the WCIO to serve as a reference for the industry to indicate the applicable
codes by state.
·
State Code List
Several of the reporting specifications require that a state
code be reported. The list provides the
numeric codes and alphabetic abbreviations for the States and
·
Data Dictionary (New!)
The Data Dictionary is the most significant of the newest
WCIO products. The WCIO Workers
Compensation Data Specifications Manual served as the basis for the creation of
the WCIO Data Dictionary. All data
elements that are found in the Data Specifications Manual can be found in the
WCIO Data Dictionary.
Data
Dictionary Format
The data dictionary is currently available in a PDF format
and can be downloaded by the user.
Each data element will be displayed as follows:
|
Data Element Name: |
The name given to the data element
contained in the flat file specification. |
|
Data Element Number: |
The unique number assigned to the
data element name contained in the flat file specification. |
|
Definition: |
A brief description that explains
the meaning of the data element. The
definition will apply to all WCIO products although exact use of the data
element will be governed by the individual products and record types. |
|
Product: |
The list of all the individual products
(within the WCIO Data Specifications Manual framework) that use the data
element in the flat file specification. |
|
Format: |
The format describes the data type
and how the data will be interpreted in the file. |
Important
Note on Data Element Names
While compiling the dictionary it was discovered that many
of the specifications used the same data elements, but some of the names or
titles were inconsistent. To improve
consistency in data element conventions and presentation, a standard name was
chosen and, as a result, the names of some data elements have changed in the
WCIO Workers Compensation Data Specifications Manual. These changes represent title and presentation
changes only and no changes have been made to the reporting requirement. All changes are reflected in the Summary of
Change document that is published with the update to the manual.
In addition
to the products mentioned above, there are also a variety of WCIO data
reporting matrices that will assist data providers with their data reporting
responsibilities.
Action Needed
Please take
some time to get familiar with the updated Web site and the new Data Dictionary
and take advantage of all the WCIO products available to you.
Acknowledgements
The WCIO
wants to extend sincere thanks to the International Association of Industrial Accident
Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) representatives for their valuable assistance with the
development of the Data Dictionary.
If you have
any questions regarding the WCIO products available on our Web site, please
contact: