A state-commissioned study to be presented today finds critical problems with the state‘s system for dealing with compensation claims for injured workers and recommends more staffing, a new computer system and standardized procedures for all 180 judges hearing the cases.
While the judges of the California Workers‘ Compensation Appeals Board are mandated by law to hold an initial hearing on an appeal within 30 days and a trial within 75, the process usually take significantly longer, said Nick Pace of Rand Corp.‘s Institute for Civil Justice, the author of the 700-page report.
Once a case is heard, it sometimes takes the judge months to render a decision, according to the study, which was prepared for the state Commission on Health and Safety and Workers‘ Compensation.
