Legal Question in Workers Comp in California

Yes...sort of. Only "Medical Provider Network" physician reports are admissible in court to prove temporary disability and/or need for a study or treatment procedure.

If your personal medical group doc writes you are limited, the employer can ignore it and order you to perform regular duty or be fired.

If you MPN Doc writes you are limited, the employer must either provide limited duties or the Insurer pays you Temporary Disability until the employer finds light work for you.

The doc the employer will send you to is most often a jerk or not a real doc, just a kid in a white coat labled 'physician assistant' and maybe later a real MD will review what the white-coat kid wrote & did, so be careful in doing what the 'company doctor' advises.

the smartest thing is to either get on the website for the company's Workers Comp Insurance Provider and find a REAL doc on the Medical Provider Network (MPN) or hire an attorney that knows which docs on the MPN are 'in bed' with the Insurer and which ones are real caring doctors.

If you want to receive benefits, then you have to find a doctor within MPN to write you a fair report of your injuries. Feel free to call us at 213.388.7070 for a free consultation.