Labor Commission Medical Panels
A Medical Panel is a panel of neutral doctors appointed by the Judge. These doctors do not work for either the insurance company or for the injured worker. They only work for the court. If there are medical disputes created by conflicting opinions in the medical records, the Judge sends a letter to the Medical Panel Chairman with the case information. The Medical Panel Chairman then calls the injured worker directly to schedule an appointment. By the time the Chairman calls, he has already arranged the schedules of the other doctors on the Panel. Therefore, it is important to accept the date the Chairman presents. Move other appointments or conflicts in order to attend the medical panel appointment.
The Medical Panel will read the entire medical exhibit and review the Findings of Fact written by the Judge. They will meet with the injured worker for an examination, but they will not discuss their decision at that time. They will submit a written report to the Judge. The Judge will send a copy of the report to all of the parties in the case. Any objections to the report must be filed within 20 days.
There has been some recent controversy in the news about Labor Commission medical panels. This is a serious, continuing problem. The attorneys at Atkin & Associates continue to work with various gorups to correct the problem, as well as developing strategies for our clients who need to see a medical panel in the current system.
Directory
