KHORSHID AGAHI vs. HOAG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
The WCAB granted reconsideration, affirming the WCJ's decision that the applicant's 2012 award was timely reopened. The Board clarified that a Declaration of Readiness to Proceed filed within five years constituted a timely petition to reopen, despite not being explicitly labeled as such. Additionally, the Board affirmed the applicant's entitlement to a psychiatric QME panel, noting the treating physician's recommendation for such an evaluation superseded any procedural arguments regarding objections to his report. The WCAB determined that a prior interlocutory discovery order did not preclude further development of the record.