CompFox AI Summary
The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board granted reconsideration to applicant Richard Lynn, who challenged a Workers' Compensation Arbitrator's (WCA) denial of his right to a Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME) examination. The WCA had found that Lynn forfeited this right by not attending a scheduled QME exam, citing an Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) agreement. The Board determined that the ADR section did not mandate forfeiture and that the WCA, like a WCJ, possessed discretion to appoint a medical examiner to ensure due process and fully adjudicate issues, especially given the lack of medical-legal reporting on industrial causation. Consequently, the Board rescinded the WCA's Findings and Order and returned the matter for further proceedings consistent with its decision.
Full Decision Text1 Pages
The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board granted reconsideration to applicant Richard Lynn, who challenged a Workers' Compensation Arbitrator's (WCA) denial of his right to a Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME) examination. The WCA had found that Lynn forfeited this right by not attending a scheduled QME exam, citing an Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) agreement. The Board determined that the ADR section did not mandate forfeiture and that the WCA, like a WCJ, possessed discretion to appoint a medical examiner to ensure due process and fully adjudicate issues, especially given the lack of medical-legal reporting on industrial causation. Consequently, the Board rescinded the WCA's Findings and Order and returned the matter for further proceedings consistent with its decision.
Read the full decision
Join + legal professionals. Create a free account to access the complete text of this decision and search our entire database.