Division 1. Department of Industrial Relations
Chapter 1. Division of Workers' Compensation -- Qualified Medical Evaluator Regulations
Article 3. Assignment of Qualified Medical Evaluators, Evaluation Procedure

§31.3. Scheduling Appointment with Panel QME.

(a) When the employee is not represented by an attorney, the unrepresented employee shall, within ten (10) days of having been furnished with the form, select a QME from the panel list, contact the QME to schedule an appointment and inform the claims administrator of the QME selection and the appointment.

(b) Neither the employer, nor the claims administrator nor any other representative of the employer shall discuss the selection of the QME with an unrepresented worker who has the legal right to select the QME.

(c) If, within ten (10) days of the issuance of a QME panel, the unrepresented employee fails to select a QME from the QME panel or fails to schedule an appointment with the selected QME, the claims administrator may schedule an appointment with a panel QME only as provided in Labor Code section 4062.1(c), and shall notify the employee of the appointment as provided in that section.

(d) Whenever the employee is represented by an attorney and the parties have completed the striking processes described in Labor Code section 4062.2(c), the represented employee shall schedule the appointment with the physician selected from the QME panel. If the represented employee fails to do so within ten (10) business days of the date a QME is selected from the panel, the claims administrator or administrator's attorney may arrange the appointment and notify the employee and employee's attorney.

(e) If a party with the legal right to schedule an appointment with a QME is unable to obtain an appointment with a selected QME within ninety (90) days of the date of the appointment request, that party may waive the right to a replacement in order to accept an appointment no more than one-hundred-twenty (120) days after the date of the party's initial request for an appointment. When the selected QME is unable to schedule the evaluation within one-hundred-twenty (120) days of the date of that party's initial request for an appointment, either party may report the unavailability of the QME and the Medical Director shall issue a replacement pursuant to section 31.5 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations upon request, unless both parties agree in writing to waive the one-hundred-twenty (120) day time limit for scheduling the initial or any subsequent evaluation.

(f) The provisions of subdivision (e) of this regulation apply to both requests for any Comprehensive Medical-Legal Evaluation by a QME and requests for Follow Up Comprehensive Medical-Legal Evaluations by a QME.

Note: Authority cited: Sections 133, 139.2 and 5307.3, Labor Code. Reference: Sections 4060, 4061, 4062, 4062.1, 4062.2, 4064 and 4067, Labor Code.

History

1. New section filed 1-13-2009; operative 2-17-2009 (Register 2009, No. 3).

2. Amendment of subsection (d) and new subsection (e) filed 9-16-2013; operative 9-16-2013 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4(b)(3) (Register 2013, No. 38).

3. Amendment of subsection (e) and new subsection (f) filed 2-2-2023; operative 2-2-2023 (Register 2023, No. 5).