Barnes, Ronnie

Self-represented applicant Ronnie Barnes filed a petition for reconsideration challenging the WCJ's July 9, 2024 Order Vacating Submission and Setting Further Proceedings, which vacated submission because no evidence had been offered or admitted on the issue the parties submitted (whether AB 227, SB 228, SB 899, and SB 863 amend or alter a January 26, 1984 Award). The parties had declined to offer exhibits at trial, treating it as a purely legal question, but the WCJ found the record incomplete under Hamilton v. Lockheed Corp. The Appeals Board held that the order was an interlocutory procedural/evidentiary decision, not a final order, and therefore not subject to reconsideration. Treating the petition as one for removal, the Board found no substantial prejudice or irreparable harm and that reconsideration would be an adequate remedy. The Board dismissed the petition for reconsideration and denied the petition for removal, also rejecting applicant's separate 'objection' for failure to comply with WCAB Rule 10964.