Castellanos, Precious

Applicant Precious Castellanos, a customer service specialist who claimed industrial injury to her head, brain, neck, and right arm on November 26, 2023, sought reconsideration of a WCJ's finding that defendant's January 10, 2024 Utilization Review (UR) decision was timely and that the WCAB lacked jurisdiction to determine medical necessity. The dispute centered on whether the treating physician's January 5, 2024 RFA, which had the expedited-review box checked, triggered the 72-hour UR timeframe under AD Rule 9792.9.1(c)(4) or the standard five-business-day timeframe under (c)(3). The Board held that merely checking the expedited box was insufficient because the RFA failed to document an imminent and serious threat to the applicant's health, so the standard timeframe applied. Because the UR decision issued within five business days of the RFA, it was timely and the WCJ correctly found no jurisdiction over medical necessity. The Board denied reconsideration and affirmed the F&O.