Engler, John

Lien claimants Comprehensive Outpatient Surgery Center (COSC) and California Urgent Care Center (CUC) jointly petitioned for reconsideration of a June 17, 2025 Findings and Order After Remand in which the WCJ found applicant John Engler sustained injury to the head, hernia, back, hips, foot, psyche and lumbar spine but not to the thoracic spine, cervical spine, or upper extremities, and limited each lien claimant to reimbursement for one lumbar epidural injection subject to further record development. The lien claimants challenged the body-part findings (particularly the thoracic spine), the limited reimbursement, and the finding that applicant was not denied care. This was the second time the matter reached the Appeals Board, the first remand having occurred January 6, 2025. The Board found the convoluted record inadequate for meaningful review on numerous fronts, including an unresolved tension between the parties' stipulation to injury to the 'back' and the finding of no thoracic injury, conflicting denial/acceptance notices, ambiguous dates of injury, questionable substantial medical evidence, billing service defects, and unaddressed procedural due process for lien claimant Dr. Ali. The Board granted reconsideration to allow further study and deferred a final decision on the merits.