What the panel ordered
The Appeals Board granted reconsideration, rescinded the WCJ's decision denying benefits, and returned the matter to the trial level for further proceedings consistent with the decision.
Applicant sought reconsideration of the WCJ's Findings of Fact and Order issued March 19, 2026, which denied compensation for injury arising out of and in the course of employment; the WCJ recommended denial of the petition; the Appeals Board granted reconsideration and rescinded the WCJ's decision, returning the matter for further proceedings.
What was disputed, and how it came out
Each issue the panel decided, with the reasoning it gave. An outcome is what this panel did on this record — not a rule, and not a prediction.
The Appeals Board found that the WCJ erred in applying LaTourette to deny compensability because the injury was caused by the fall impact with the elevator rail and floor, not the non-industrial disease causing the fall, and thus the injury is compensable under established case law.
From the decision · page 1Applicant seeks reconsideration of the Findings of Fact and Order (F&O) issued by a workers' compensation administrative law judge (WCJ) on March 19, 2026, wherein the WCJ found that applicant did not sustain injury arising out of and occurring in the course of his employment (AOE/COE), and ordered that applicant take nothing from his claim.