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§ 7563.Briefs; award; decision

Article 75-A. Health Care Arbitration · Last amended 1986 · Last verified July 21, 2026

In one sentenceCPLR 7563 lets the panel order post-hearing briefs summarizing evidence and proposing an award, and requires the panel's majority decision within thirty days after the close of hearings or receipt of briefs.

Full Text of CPLR 7563

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b)

(a) The panel may order that written briefs be submitted within thirty days after the close of hearings. In written briefs each party may summarize the evidence and testimony and may propose a comprehensive award of compensatory elements.
(b) The panel of arbitrators shall render its decision by majority vote and the decision shall be rendered within thirty days after the close of the hearing or the receipt of briefs, if briefs are requested.

Plain-English Summary

After the hearing wraps up, subdivision (a) gives the panel discretion to order written briefs, due within thirty days of the close of hearings, in which each party can summarize the evidence and testimony and propose a comprehensive award covering the compensatory elements it believes are due. That process gives the panel a structured last word from each side before it decides.

Subdivision (b) then puts a clock on the decision itself. The panel decides by majority vote, and it has to render that decision within thirty days of whichever comes later: the close of the hearing, or receipt of briefs if the panel asked for them. The deadline keeps a case from drifting once the evidentiary record is closed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the arbitration panel require written briefs after the hearing?

Yes. The panel may order written briefs within thirty days after the close of hearings, letting each party summarize the evidence and propose a comprehensive award.

How is the arbitration panel's decision made?

By majority vote of the three-member panel.

How long does the panel have to decide after the hearing ends?

Thirty days after the close of the hearing, or thirty days after receiving briefs if the panel requested them.

What can each party include in a brief submitted under CPLR 7563?

A summary of the evidence and testimony and a proposed comprehensive award of compensatory elements, giving the panel a structured statement of each side's position before it decides.

Is the panel required to order written briefs after every hearing?

No. CPLR 7563(a) leaves that decision to the panel, which may order briefs but is not required to.

Amendment History

Add, L 1986, ch 266, § 5, eff July 8, 1986.

Source & verification. Provision text, History, and Advisory Committee Notes are reproduced verbatim from the Consolidated Laws of New York. Last verified July 21, 2026. · Official source
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