Zhao, Tieqiang

Applicant Tieqiang Zhao sought removal of a December 12, 2025 F&O in which the WCJ struck QME panel number 7875837 as untimely requested, found the parties' subsequent panel requests invalid for lack of proper service, and ordered the Medical Unit to issue a new orthopedic surgery (MOS) panel. Because the F&O contained both final findings (employment and insurance coverage) and non-final QME panel orders, the Board treated the petition as one for reconsideration but applied the removal standard to the challenged QME issue. The Board affirmed striking panel 7875837 as prematurely requested under section 4062.2(b), but found the record inadequate to determine the validity of the subsequent panel requests, noting that a referenced Defendant's Exhibit A and a purported applicant stipulation about service did not actually exist in the record. The Board granted reconsideration, rescinded both the F&O and the form Finding and Order re: Second QME Panel, substituted findings affirming the stipulations and the striking of the panel, deferred all other issues, and returned the matter to the trial level for further proceedings.