Injured Workers Waiting Years for Benefits Fight Back on Delays

A loophole that allowed an appeals board for California workers’ compensation claims to indefinitely stall cases without explaining why was closed in August, forcing the board to change the way it handles backlog in ways that may leave workers no better off.

The Aug. 1 ruling from the California Second District Court of Appeal said that the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board can no longer use a rubber stamp to buy time on a case via “grant-for-study,” a way the board had delayed ruling before the 60-day deadline required by law. Cases put under grant-for-study often languish for years.

The ruling ...