Workers' Comp Creates Lengthy Delays For Californians Injured On The Job
Injured workers in California often wait months or even years to receive the medical evaluations they need, as requests for evaluations have soared. Injured workers in California often wait months or even years to receive the medical evaluations required to get needed treatment, and in some cases to determine how disabled they are as a result of the injury. The reason? The state lacks enough physicians signed up with the state’s program to serve as experts. That’s among the findings of a first-ever state audit of California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation, which noted that the state has not increased the pay schedule for expert doctors, known as Qualified Medical Evaluators, in 13 years. “It’s affecting real workers, and if something is not being done correctly, they need to fix it,” said Democratic Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio of Baldwin Park. She requested the audit as a member of the Joint Committee on Legislative Audit, which will hold a hearing on the findings Tuesday. “But if i