What the panel ordered
June 20, 2025 F&A rescinded; February 11, 2026 F&A vacated as void ab initio; applicant's second Petition for Reconsideration dismissed; matter returned to WCA for further proceedings.
Petition for reconsideration of arbitrator's decisions after incomplete record and improper issuance of a second F&A while reconsideration was pending.
This docket was decided more than once. Shown here is the latest released decision; we also hold October 13, 2025.
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 WCA lacked authority to issue a second F&A while reconsideration was pending, and the record was incomplete for meaningful review. Due process and procedural rules require a complete record and prohibit further orders until the Appeals Board acts on reconsideration.
From the decision · page 5Pursuant to WCAB Rule 10961, no WCJ or WCA shall issue any order in a case until the Appeals Board has denied or dismissed the petition for reconsideration or issued a decision after reconsideration. (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 8, § 10961.) One of the purposes of WCAB Rule 10961 is to avoid inconsistent rulings and to prevent bifurcation. Thus, under WCAB Rule 10961, the WCA lacked authority to issue the decision of February 11, 2026, and we conclude that it is void ab initio. Consequently, we will vacate it, and we will dismiss applicant's Petition for Reconsideration in response to the February 11, 2026 decision.