Casarez, Yesenia

Applicant Yesenia Casarez, a prep cook, claimed industrial injury on February 6, 2019, to multiple body parts after a fall, including her arm, back, circulatory system, worsening hypertension, and a blood infection. The WCJ found industrial injury to her low back and left elbow (including cellulitis) but not to her hips or hypertension, and denied her request for an additional QME panel in internal medicine and to develop the record. The WCAB granted reconsideration, finding good cause for an additional internal medicine QME panel because the orthopedic AME, Dr. Newton, failed to address the claimed internal/circulatory injuries or advise the parties of disputed issues outside his scope of practice. The Board rescinded the FA&O and substituted a new F&A finding injury to the low back and left elbow but deferring injury to all other body parts, ordering an additional internal medicine panel and further development of the record. Temporary disability, attorney's fees, and future medical care findings were left substantively unchanged.