What the panel ordered
Petition granted; WCJ’s May 13, 2024 F&O rescinded; applicant’s chiropractic QME panel request held valid; defendant’s orthopedic QME panel held invalid; all other issues deferredp. 6
Applicant’s petition for reconsideration of WCJ’s May 13, 2024 Findings and Order that invalidated all QME panels in ADJ17558358 and authorized replacement panels
What was disputed, and how it came out
Each issue the panel decided, with the reasoning it gave. An outcome is what this panel did on this record — not a rule, and not a prediction.
Defendant’s July 21, 2023 orthopedic panel request was invalid because applicant was unrepresented at the time and the panel was issued as a represented panel; applicant’s July 28, 2023 chiropractic panel request, made after representation and after defendant’s denial, was valid under § 4062.2.
From the decision · page 6Here, defendant filed an Answer on June 30, 2023, denying the cumulative injury, and on July 28, 2023, applicant appropriately requested a QME panel under section 4062.2 based upon defendant’s denial. As such, we conclude that applicant’s request for a chiropractic QME panel valid.