Supreme Court Asked to Review Dubon II as UR/IMR Disputes Pile Up

The California Supreme Court is being asked to weigh in on whether the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board has properly construed the scope of its jurisdiction in the wake of SB 863. Almost exactly one year ago, the WCAB issued an en banc decision called Dubon v. World Restoration, saying utilization-review decisions suffering from "material procedural defects" didn't have to go through the controversial independent medical-review process implemented by SB 863. The treatment disputes in such cases would instead be decided by a workers' compensation judge, the board said...