Appeals Court Overturns WCAB Decision, Says IDL Payments Not 'Compensation'

A California appellate court on Monday overturned a Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board decision and held that industrial disability leave benefits paid to injured state workers as an alternative to temporary disability do not count as “compensation” and can’t be increased by 50% in cases involving serious and willful employer misconduct. The statute defining “compensation” limits the term to benefits or payments made pursuant to the Labor Code, the court said. Because industrial disability leave benefits are provided under the Government Code, they don&rsq...