DWC Considers Devoting 2 Weeks to Liens in October

The California Division of Workers’ Compensation is asking administrative judges to keep free time on their calendar in October to deal with the anticipated increase in requests for lien trials after the adoption of new lien rules in May.The new rules include a provision that will allow a judge to dismiss a lien if a declaration of readiness to proceed has not been filed within 180 days of the time the lien holder becomes a party to the case. Lien claimants expect Appeals Board offices -- particularly in Southern California -- to be swamped with new filings, creating additional backlogs ...