California’s Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) Devision of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has announced that the medical-legal evaluation Emergency Regulations 36.7 and 46.2, which took effect on May 14, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, will expire in March, in accordance with Governor Newsom’s Executive Orders. If Executive Orders N-40-20 and N-66-20 remain in effect, there are two 210-day extensions that may be used to keep these regulations active.
These regulations are intended to help both employers and their injured workers reach resolutions in their workers’ compensation claims cases in the face of COVID’s impact. The regulations offer options to avoid delays, including guidelines for proceeding with medical-legal evaluations, and alternative forms of service for required forms and reports.
SRTK will continue to monitor this development and provide updates as available. Please contact us with any questions about what this may mean for you.