In accordance with the California Workers’ Compensation Uniform Statistical Reporting Plan—1995 (USRP), insurers are required to report policy information by electronic submission. Prior to submitting this data, insurers or their authorized third party entity (TPE) must undergo testing and receive approval to report policy information electronically. Testing is required so that the WCIRB can review submission file format compliance and ensure that insurers or their authorized TPEs pass the WCIRB preprocessing errors to verify that policy data reported electronically matches the corresponding hard copy policy.
Learn more about the TPE authorization process on the Using Third Parties page.
An insurer or their authorized TPE must submit a test file(s) for approval before beginning to report production policy files electronically to the WCIRB.
Testing is required under the following conditions:
| Testing Scenarios | Authorized TPE | Insurer |
| Plans to submit a policy transaction type for the first time in California | YES | YES |
| Plans to submit policy data for a new insurer as part of an existing insurer group | YES | YES |
| Plans to submit policy data for a new insurer | YES | N/A |
| Transitions to a new system for entering or creating policy data submissions, including transitions to and from PEEP and proprietary systems | YES | YES |
| Significant changes made to proprietary system for entering or creating policy submissions or any changes that could affect data quality1 | YES | YES |
If testing is required, review the Getting Started Guide and Checklist for Electronic Policy Submission Testing page prior to beginning the testing process. Please note that data submitters must complete testing and receive approval by the WCIRB for all policy transaction types within 180 days from the Testing Commencement Date.2 Failure to timely complete testing may result in remedial procedures (see WCIRB Policy Data Quality Program).
There are several steps to the testing process. The following guides provide data submitters with resources on where to begin and what to expect:
1 Failure to notify the WCIRB of system changes that would qualify an insurer or their authorized TPE for testing may result in remedial procedures (PDQP, Part III, Section D).
2 The Testing Commencement Date is the earlier of: (1) the date the WCIRB acknowledges receipt of the notification that the policy reporting system is ready for testing or (2) the 30th day after the inception date of the first policy document received from the insurer or their authorized TPE.
