Buffington, Sandra

Applicant, a fundraising director for UCLA's Fielding School, sustained an industrial injury to her right ankle and foot when she tripped and fell in Kyoto, Japan on January 31, 2016. She continued working with modified duties (working from home, elevating her ankle) until the employer's program closed on January 31, 2018 for lack of funding. The WCJ awarded temporary disability from February 1, 2018 continuing, found applicant not permanent and stationary, and deferred medical treatment and the claimed head/psyche injuries. On reconsideration, the Appeals Board rescinded the Findings and Award and returned the matter to the trial level, directing the WCJ to determine whether the orthopedic injury caused the program closure and resulting job loss, whether medical evidence specifically supports temporary disability after February 1, 2018, and whether any wage loss was total or partial under Labor Code section 4657.