Overview
The 'XML Forms Submission' project (XFS) was created to set up a method to allow the submission of data to the Workers' Compensation Board in an industry standard format (XML - Extensible Markup Language). Learn more about the CMS-1500 Initiative.
Submissions will consist of a single compressed archive in ZIP format containing one XML file and zero or more binary attachments. Initially, we are only supporting TIFF images as binary attachments. Text attachments are also supported, but these will be embedded in the XML file itself.
Process description
The business partner will submit a ZIP file ("submission") containing a single XML file with zero or more TIFF image files. The ZIP file format provides a simple container mechanism which eases management of all submissions.
The XML file will describe one or more documents, each of which consists of discrete form data followed by zero or more attachments. An attachment can be a block of text (which is included in the XML file itself) or a TIFF image which is included separately in the ZIP file.
The submission will be transmitted to the Workers' Compensation Board ("WCB") via an encrypted (SSL) browser connection to our website. Immediately upon receipt of the submission, a set of overall integrity checks will be performed:
- Is the ZIP file valid?
- Is the included XML file valid (does it conform to the schema?)?
- Is the set of included TIFF files complete (any missing or unreferenced?)?
- Do the included TIFF files meet specific formatting requirements (Group 4 Fax format, 200dpi, black & white (color depth = 1), etc.)?
If the above criteria are satisfied, the submission is accepted for processing at a later time. If any of the above checks fail, the submission is immediately rejected.
During the WCB "batch window" (roughly 7pm-7am), all accepted submissions will be processed. Each document in a submission will be examined in detail to ensure the data is appropriate. Cross-element edits, code lookups/verification, medical provider authorization, etc. will be performed. Upon completion of the examination of each document, one of three statuses will be assigned:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Accepted | Processed without errors or warnings (there is no text message associated with this status) |
| Accepted with Errors | Processed, but there was a problem with some aspect of the document (the associated text message will provide detail) |
| Rejected | Not processed (the associated text message will provide detail) |
For each document that is assigned one of the first two statuses, the discrete data elements and images (if any) will be stored in the appropriate repositories. Upon completion of submission processing, results will be made available to the business partner for download (formatted per the results.xsd schema).
CMS-1500 Guide for Electronic Submission Partners
Add, modify or remove users
- Add, Modify or Remove Users (user ID and password required)
- ONLY the Board Authorized Electronic Submission Partner's administrator can request user ID's and passwords for other employees from their own organization to submit XML files. The administrator is also responsible for notifying the Workers' Compensation Board when employees within their organization should no longer have access to submit XML files, for example, when an employee leaves the organization.
Schemas (Updated 05/17/2026)
- xfs-schemas.zip - All schemas in one ZIP file (see whatsnew.txt for details on changes).
Documentation
- CMS-1500 Field Table Matrix for Electronic Submission (MS Excel) (Updated 05/18/2026)
- Submission Schema - 'submission' is root element. (Updated 10/25/2025)
- Results Schema - 'results' is root element. (Updated 08/22/2006)
- Submission Restrictions/Requirements - Information on packaging submission. (Updated 10/05/2009)
Samples (Updated 11/12/2021)
- CompanyABC013.zip - Sample submission ZIP file.
- results.xml - Sample results XML file.
- xfs-javasample.zip - Sample Java code to generate XML file. (see ReadMe.txt in ZIP file)
- xfs-sample.err - Sample error file.
Submission Restrictions/Requirements
1000 documents per submission maximum (each document may contain multiple pages)
Zip file
- One and only one XML file in ZIP archive (name it whatever you like, but make sure it has .XML extension).
- The only other files that may be present are TIFF files (.tif is the preferred extension, but .tiff is allowed).
Binary attachment
- TIFF4 Format (aka TIFF using 'CCITT Group 4 Fax' compression)
- Fill Order must be 'Most Significant Bit (MSB) to Least Significant Bit (LSB)'
- 'Single strip' images only
- No tiled images allowed
- 200 dpi
- Black and White only (color depth: 1 bit)
- One image per file (no multi-page TIFF files allowed; A duplex document should be converted to two image files)