State Codes and Statutes
Statutes > West-virginia > 23 > 23-1-4§23-1-4. Office hours; records; confidentiality; exceptions.
(a) The offices of the workers' compensation commission shall be open for the transaction of business between the hours of eight-thirty o'clock a.m. and five o'clock p.m. of each and every day, excepting Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, and be open upon any additional days and at any additional times elected by the commission. The executive director is the chief executive officer of the workers' compensation commission.
(b) Except as expressly provided for in this subsection, information obtained regarding employers and claimants pursuant to this chapter for the purposes of its administration is not subject to the provisions of chapter twenty-nine-b of this code unless the provisions are hereafter specifically made applicable, in whole or in part. The information that is reasonably necessary may be released in formal orders or opinions of any tribunal or court which is presented with an issue arising under this chapter as well as in the presentations of the parties before the tribunal or court. Similarly, claimants or other interested parties to an issue arising under this chapter may, upon request, obtain information from the commission's records to the extent necessary for the proper presentation or defense of a claim or other matter. Information may be released pursuant to the provisions of chapter twenty-nine-b of this code only if all identifying information has first been eliminated from the records. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent the release of information to another agency of the state or of the federal government for the legitimate purposes of those agencies: Provided, That the agency shall guarantee the confidentiality of the information provided to the fullest extent possible in keeping with its own statutory and regulatory mandates. Nothing in this section shall prevent the commission from complying with any subpoena duces tecum: Provided, however, That the issuing tribunal or court shall take such actions as proper to maintain the confidentiality of the information.
The commission may release, pursuant to a proper request under the provisions of chapter twenty-nine-b of this code, the following information:
(1) The base premium tax rate for a specific employer;
(2) Whether or not a specific employer has obtained coverage under the provisions of this chapter;
(3) Whether or not a specific employer is in good standing or is delinquent or in default according to the commission's records and the time periods thereof; and
(4) If a specific employer is delinquent or in default, what the payments due the commission are and what the components of that payment are, including the time periods affected.
