What the panel ordered
Denial of defendant's petition for reconsideration of the January 12, 2026 WCAB decision.
Defendant seeks reconsideration of the January 12, 2026 WCAB decision granting applicant a replacement medical evaluator due to ex parte communication by defendant.
This docket was decided more than once. Shown here is the latest released decision; we also hold January 12, 2026.
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.
The Board found no basis to overturn the prior decision granting replacement medical evaluator due to defendant's ex parte communication.
From the decision · page 1Defendant seeks reconsideration of the "Opinion and Orders Granting Petition for Reconsideration and Decision After Reconsideration" (Decision) issued on January 12, 2026, by the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board. The Appeals Board found, in pertinent part, that applicant was entitled to a replacement medical evaluator because defendant engaged in ex parte communication with the agreed medical evaluator (AME) by failing to serve its communication on the Official Address Record.