Many of you are likely familiar with the existing, traditional concepts of subrogation and credit rights in California’s workers compensation system as set forth in Labor Code section 3852 et...

The Division of Workers’ Compensation has announced the 2026 rate increases for the minimum and maximum rates of temporary total disability. For 2026, the minimum weekly rate will increase from...

Over the years, the “Going and Coming Rule” has often been defined more by its exceptions than by the rule itself. The rule states that an injury occurring off the employer’s premises during an...

Temporary disability is an important workers’ compensation benefit with some complex nuances. The purpose of temporary disability is to financially compensate an injured worker for lost wages due...

We have all become accustomed to the practice of either seeking or receiving a replacement panel request when the QME is unable to set an evaluation timely. Frankly, many practitioners have...

We have all become accustomed to the practice of either seeking or receiving a replacement panel request when the QME is unable to set an evaluation timely. Frankly, many practitioners have...

The recent Barahona v. ABM Janitorial Services (2024) 53 CWCR 4, decision sheds light on a common but often misunderstood issue in California workers’ compensation: how liability is shared among...

Vast changes are swiftly approaching regarding the efforts Workers’ Compensation practitioners must make in protecting Medicare’s interests in future medical settlements. The Centers for...

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the workers’ compensation arena is on the horizon. Given the scale of AI applications and the speed at which the technology is developing and...

In 2024, Californian workers faced a tempered legislative and judicial climate following an exciting election cycle from 2024. The California State Legislature and Governor Newsom have adjourned...

In 2020, California voters passed Proposition 22, otherwise known as the Protect App-Based Drivers Act (the Propositiont), exempting app-based drivers for companies like Uber, Lyft, and Instacart...

California has one of the most diverse workforces in the country. Each distinct job industry has its own nuances within the Workers’ Compensation system. One often overlooked but invaluable part...

The WCAB has issued a rare en banc decision providing guidance on the applicant’s burden of proof in rebutting the use of the “Combined Values Chart” (CVC) when combining impairments pursuant to...

It is well-established that the purpose of the workers’ compensation system is to provide benefits to employees who suffer on-the-job injuries or certain work-related illnesses. To adhere to the...

The Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board has designated its March 27, 2024, opinion in Sandra Ja’Chim Scheuing v. Livermore National Laboratory, permissibly self-insured, administered by Gallagher...

There continues to be a steady increase in subpoenas seeking claims files and human resources or personnel files from applicant’s counsel. Receiving and responding to subpoenas can be burdensome...

For more than three years, virtually everyone in the California workers’ compensation community had become familiar with the Covid-19 presumptions. Labor Code sections 3212.86, 3212.87, and...

The WCAB offered clarity on the complex topic of “vocational apportionment” in an en banc decision issued on June 22, 2023: Grace Nunes v. State of California, Dept. of Motor Vehicles, legally...