ALBANY, N.Y., March 14 – A new on-line tool, at www.nysif.com, where businesses can validate certificates of insurance, is now available from the New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF), according to NYSIF executive director David P. Wehner. This enhancement positions the NYSIF website as the industry standard for all insurers, said Wehner. Additionally, this initiative will greatly reduce fraud involving false certificates of insurance.

Wehner explained that government agencies, as well as contractors and other businesses, rely on certificates of insurance to prove coverage is in place, however, he added that, in the past, certificates of insurance have been easy to falsify, and once issued, would not reflect if coverage had been cancelled.

Now, said Wehner, users can visit NYSIFs website for real-time verification. He described a verification process where users log on to the website and click on Validate a Workers Compensation Certificate. They then insert the policy number, certificate number, validation number and certificate holder zip code. Once these are entered, Wehner said, users will receive a green message that reads: This confirms that a Certificate of Insurance was issued under this Policy Number with the following information, provided that the information entered is correct.

If the information is incorrect, a red message will read: No valid certificate found for the information you entered. Please recheck the information and try again.

In addition to the validation feature, Wehner said that NYSIF policyholders can create certificates of insurance on the website, report a work-related injury, view monthly bills and account summaries, benefit from a return-to-work program, request a quote, and apply for a policy.