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Getting Started Guide and Checklist for Electronic Policy Submission Testing

This guide is intended to help data submitters prepare to electronically submit policy transactions to the WCIRB.

Please ensure that the New Member requirements are completed prior to writing business and submitting policy information to the WCIRB.

Policy transactions must be submitted to the WCIRB in accordance with the Workers Compensation Insurance Organizations’ (WCIO) Workers Compensation Policy Reporting Specifications (WCPOLS) and the California Workers' Compensation Uniform Statistical Reporting Plan—1995 (USRP). In order to do so, the insurer, or an insurer’s authorized third party entity (TPE), must complete testing in accordance with the WCIRB Policy Data Quality Program standards for electronic submissions.

Please complete the pre-testing checklist below prior to beginning testing for electronic submissions. Once the checklist has been completed, contact [email protected] to begin testing.

Task Description Completed
1. Review the WCPOLS Manual and Supplemental Resources

The WCIO developed the specifications for electronic reporting of policy data and provided the standardized formats and other integral information for exchanging data electronically. 

The specifications as well as SearchPoint (an interactive application that features content from the WCIO Workers Compensation Data Specifications Manuals) are located on the WCIO website.

Data Submitters should also review the WCIRB Data Reporting Handbook – Policy Reporting, USRP and WCIRB Policy Data Quality Program for California-specific details.

  
2. Authorization for New TPE Access

New TPEs must be authorized to data report on an insurer’s behalf. 

Please visit Using Third Parties for more information.
3. Obtain a Compensation Data Exchange (CDX) account

Insurers and authorized TPEs must transmit policy submissions to the WCIRB electronically using the CDX system, located on the CDX website. 

For more information, including how to set up an account, see the CDX page – Need a User Account? section.
4. Authorization for TPE Access in CDX

New TPEs must be granted authorization to report on behalf of the insurer in CDX.

For more information, including how to set up an account, see the CDX page – Need a User Account? section.
5. Review Policy Entry and Edit Package (PEEP) System

If your company does not have a proprietary policy issuing system or has difficulty correctly reporting policy data in WCPOLS format, the CDX’s PEEP1 application may be used. 

WCPOLS testing using PEEP certifies that the insurer’s staff can input policy information consistent with the WCPOLS standards and reflective of the corresponding policy documents. Testing must be completed prior to using the PEEP application to submit policy transactions electronically. 

Information on PEEP can also be found on the CDX website after logging in. Access to PEEP will be granted along with CDX.
6. Review the CDX file naming conventions Policy submission files must be named in accordance with the file naming conventions listed on the WCIRB’s CDX page.

Recommendations

  • Use a group email address (instead of an individual’s email address) to ensure that others can respond to and have access to correspondences in the absence of the Policy Data Submission Contact (e.g., acmedatareporting @acme.com instead of john.smith @acme.com).
  • Designate a secondary contact that we will copy (“cc”) on all correspondence sent to the Policy Data Submission Contact.
  • Review the CDX Online Training Videos for PEEP, which are located on CDX under Online Training or in the registered section under the Help menu.

1 PEEP is a web-based application that provides insurers with the ability to input, validate, edit and electronically submit policy data in WCPOLS format through the CDX system to data collection organizations.