QMEs to Try Again on Jurisdiction Question in Suit Against DIR

A group of former qualified medical evaluators who allege they lost their jobs after the state adopted a different interpretation of billing rules will soon get a second chance to persuade a civil court judge that he has jurisdiction over their lawsuit against the Department of Industrial Relations. In a tentative ruling last month, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Chalfant held that the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board has exclusive jurisdiction over accusations that DIR changed its interpretation of billing rules without going through the formal rule-making process...