Salamat, Antonina

Applicant Antonina Salamat had two claims: a specific injury on August 29, 2023 (ADJ19457849) accepted for left wrist and knee, and a cumulative injury from January 1, 2020 through February 15, 2024 (ADJ19203396). After serving a section 4062.2 request referencing the cumulative claim, applicant's attorney obtained chiropractic panel 7694889 but mistakenly used the specific injury claim number on the panel request. The WCJ found applicant's panel invalid and defendant's later orthopedic panel 7705125 valid. The Appeals Board granted reconsideration, holding that under Navarro the same QME must evaluate both claims since both were filed before any evaluation, and that the wrong claim number was a technical, non-jurisdictional defect that did not invalidate the panel under the substance-over-form doctrine. The Board rescinded the F&O and substituted a new one finding applicant's panel 7694889 valid and defendant's panel 7705125 invalid.