New York Gov. David Paterson has appointed Robert E. Beloten as chair of the state’s workers’ compensation board, effective July 15.

Beloten replaces current chair Zachary Weiss, who announced his resignation in June. Weiss joined the board in 2007, coming from the New York State Insurance Department, where he served as special counsel to the insurance superintendent involved in policy analysis, special projects, legislative initiatives and providing legal expertise.

Since Beloten received state Senate confirmation at the time of his appointment to the bard, his role as chairman does not require another round of confirmation by lawmakers.

Robert Beloten was named one of the Workers’ Compensation Board’s 12 commissioners in May, after having been a workers’ compensation judge from 1988 to 1996 and from 2000 until he became a commissioner. As a judge, he worked mostly in the system’s office in Jamaica, Queens.

During the four years between his tenures as a compensation judge, Beloten worked for Keating & Klein, a law firm on Long Island, N.Y., that specializes in health care law. From 1985 to 1988, he was an assistant counsel for the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, and has lectured extensively on workers’ compensation and medical law.

As chair of the Workers’ Compensation Board, his salary will be $120,800, according to the governor’s office.