What the panel ordered
Denied defendant's Petition for Reconsideration of the Findings of Fact and Order issued on June 26, 2025.
Defendant filed a timely Petition for Reconsideration of the Findings of Fact and Order issued by the WCJ on June 26, 2025, challenging the WCAB's jurisdiction over the claim due to an ADR agreement. The WCJ filed a Report and Recommendation to deny the petition. The Appeals Board lost the petition due to clerical error but later found jurisdiction to decide on the merits and denied the petition.
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 Appeals Board found that the parties had stipulated to reserve jurisdiction with the WCAB despite the ADR agreement, and that denying jurisdiction would leave the applicant without a forum or remedy. The Board also found that the defendant's position was inconsistent with prior stipulations and that jurisdiction over unpaid benefits rests with the Appeals Board.
The facts that decided it
What the panel treated as outcome-determinative, and which side it favoured.
The parties stipulated in the ADR proceedings to proceed before the Appeals Board on unpaid benefits, reserving jurisdiction with the WCAB.