California Division Of Workers’ Compensation Creates Forms Test Lab For The Electronic Adjudication Management System (EAMS)

Oakland, CA (CompNewsNetwork) - The California Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) has created a testing environment for forms that will be used in the Electronic Adjudication Management System (EAMS). The DWC's forms, which will become mandatory when EAMS regulations are final, are specifically designed to work with optical character recognition (OCR) software in DWC scanners to populate an EAMS case file. However, the DWC forms are not specifically built to work with external auto-populate software programs used by many firms to make it easier to fill in and submit documents.

While the DWC forms are not finalized yet—and won't be until the formal rulemaking process is complete—the division is moving toward implementation and DWC is inviting those vendors who currently produce court forms to begin work on forms creation for EAMS in a test environment at DWC's Oakland headquarters beginning the week of June 16 and ending on August 1.

"This lab will give forms vendors the opportunity to test forms they build for use in case management programs to ensure they will work in EAMS," said DWC Court Administrator Keven Star. "We encourage vendors to take advantage of this opportunity so that case parties can begin using EAMS-compatible forms when the system goes live internally in August."

The main issue with the creation of forms by entities outside DWC is that they must be readable by the OCR software in scanners used by DWC to populate an EAMS case file. The EAMS forms test environment will include:

Four DWC computers with access to the EAMS testing environment

Space for four laptops external users can bring in while they're testing

A scanner available in a nearby room on the same floor, which will be used to test the forms to ensure they will function with OCR software

Internet access and a shared printer to be used by the external users for their laptops, so any necessary changes in forms can be made on the spot, and new forms printed and scanned. In this way, any needed changes made can immediately be tested.
"While some vendors may essentially be able to incorporate our OCR forms into their systems instantaneously once they are final, others may need more lead time to work with prototypes," said Star. "The test lab affords those who need it the opportunity to ensure their forms will work properly with our scanners."

DWC held a public meeting March 5 to discuss the compatibility of EAMS with other software programs, including external case management programs that employ auto-populate software. At that meeting the division asked for volunteers to participate in an EAMS forms advisory group, which met once in April to discuss options for making DWC-generated forms work in external auto-populate systems.

Following that meeting some vendors have been working with drafts of the forms made publicly available on the DWC Web site during the regulatory forum. The draft forms are also currently posted on the EAMS formal rulemaking page. The rulemaking for EAMS regulations, which includes the forms and will also include public hearings, was announced in a May 30 newsline.

Interested forms vendors should send an email by June 11 to eams@dir.ca.gov to indicate their desire to participate in this test environment. Please type "EAMS forms test" in the subject line of the email. Depending on the number of participants, the DWC may establish a user schedule for the test lab.

Continuous updates about the division's activities are available by subscribing to the DWC Newsline. EAMS-specific information is also available on the DWC EAMS Web site and by subscribing to EAMS Insider, the division's EAMS newsletter.

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