Workers' Comp for Livery Drivers: The ILDBF

In short: if you drive for a NYC livery base (a neighborhood car service, not an app), your workers' compensation usually comes from the Independent Livery Driver Benefit Fund (ILDBF) — but only for catastrophic injuries defined by state law and injuries from crimes committed against you while you were on a covered dispatch. For every other injury on the job, you claim no-fault benefits from the insurance of the car you were driving, and the Fund's claims page says to file that no-fault application within 30 days of the accident. You start a Fund claim by filing Form C-3 with the Workers' Compensation Board.

This guide explains who the Fund covers, what it pays, and how the Fund claim and the no-fault claim fit together, as published on 2026-10-12. It is not legal advice; a workers' compensation lawyer can review your case.

What the Fund is and who it covers

The NYS Workers' Compensation Board says that on July 26, 2008, the Governor signed the law creating the ILDBF. It "provides workers' compensation benefits for serious injuries and crimes committed against drivers dispatched by qualifying independent livery bases licensed in Westchester, Nassau and New York City" (WCB). Its insurance carrier is Hereford Insurance Company.

Two conditions decide whether the Fund is your route:

1. Your base. It must be an independent livery base that is a Fund member on the date of the accident. The WCB lists the tests a base must meet to join: for example, it is not a black car or luxury limousine base; drivers set their own hours and choose which dispatches to accept; drivers may work with other bases; and the base does not own, or pay for the costs of, more than 50% of the cars it dispatches.
2. Your injury. The Fund's own benefits page says it covers independent livery drivers "only under certain well defined circumstances (generally, catastrophic injuries defined by statute and injuries resulting from the commission of a crime)." The list of qualifying injuries is in Executive Law §160-ddd. We don't reproduce it here; the Board applies it to your medical records.

You must also have been on a covered service at the time — a dispatch from the member base.

What the bases must do

TLC makes coverage a condition of every livery base license. Rule 59B-12 says each livery base must either be a member of the livery fund or keep workers' compensation insurance for all drivers it dispatches, at all times. An independent base must be a Fund member and give TLC a copy of its affirmation to the WCB and its membership certificate; a base that is not independent must buy regular workers' compensation insurance (TLC Chapter 59). The WCB adds that since January 1, 2010, a base must show TLC proof of one or the other to get, renew or keep its license.

Fund, no-fault or Black Car Fund?

Sources: WCB; ILDBF claims process; Black Car Fund FAQs. For a quick routing by license type, see hurt while driving: who pays. App and black-car drivers should read the Black Car Fund claim guide instead.

What the Fund pays if you qualify

If the Workers' Compensation Board decides you are entitled to benefits from the Fund, the Fund says you may receive:

• medical benefits, which may include hospital, doctor, dentist, physical therapy, chiropractic, x-rays, lab tests, nursing, durable medical goods and prescriptions;
• cash benefits of two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to the state maximum; these are not paid for the first 7 days of disability unless it lasts more than 14 days;
• death and survivor benefits for a surviving spouse, minor children or other dependents, and funeral expenses up to the legal maximum.

How a claim works, step by step

The claims process page says that if the no-fault carrier then denies your claim, you can file for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association, as described on the denial; if you believe a carrier is improperly delaying or denying benefits, you can complain to the NYS Department of Financial Services. It quotes Workers' Compensation Law §18-c(8): an independent livery driver hurt by the use or operation of a car during an independent-base dispatch recovers under the no-fault law and is not entitled to workers' compensation except as Executive Law §160-ddd provides.

Contact the Fund: 48 Wall Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10005 · 212-257-1555 (ILDBF).

Your TLC license while you are out

If you file for workers' compensation claiming an injury that stops you from working, TLC rule 80-13(b) says you must stop driving and surrender your TLC license ($75 and $150 fines, appearance required). TLC's workers' comp compliance sheet (dated 12/09/2020) says to email proof of your claim and a doctor's letter to tlccompliance@tlc.nyc.gov, and to return to work you need a doctor's letter clearing you with no restrictions plus proof that benefits have ended. Full steps: can I drive while on workers' comp.

Mistakes that cost livery drivers money

• Waiting for the Fund before filing no-fault. Most injuries won't qualify for the Fund, and the no-fault application has its own 30-day clock. File it early.
• Not knowing your base's status. Ask your base, in writing, whether it is a Fund member or carries workers' comp. TLC requires one or the other, and the Board will check.
• Picking up a street hail and assuming coverage. Coverage depends on a covered dispatch. A livery car that is not a licensed Street Hail Livery (green cab) may not pick up street hails at all under TLC rules (see unlicensed activity and street hails).
• Missing the C-3 deadline. The WCB requires Form C-3 within two years of the accident (WCB), and notice to your employer within 30 days.
• Driving while claiming disability. That breaks 80-13(b), which carries fines and requires a hearing.

If your injury came from an attack, also read assaulted or threatened as a driver — TLC's victim services can connect you to the NYS Office of Victim Services. The term itself is defined in our glossary entry for the ILDBF, and the vehicle type in livery.