Mark Johnson — ADJ9298733, ADJ1877205

Defendant International Paper/Weyerhaeuser, permissibly self-insured and administered by Sedgwick, sought reconsideration of a January 6, 2026 Joint Findings and Orders finding that defendant did not pay an Award timely and properly under a September 6, 2023 Compromise & Release (C&R). The C&R settled future medical and related issues for '$22,500.00 NEW MONEY' with the PDA credit space in paragraph 7 left blank, leaving applicant a balance of $19,125.00, yet defendant only issued a $2,910.00 check to applicant after deducting $16,215.00 as a purported permanent disability advance. Defendant argued it merely complied with the December 10, 2024 Order and Award (which allowed credit for 'permanent disability advances made to date, if any') and that the order should be enforced as written. The WCJ and the Appeals Board found the $16,215.00 was actually permanent disability indemnity paid under a prior 2016 stipulated Award, not a future PDA, and that the parties' mutual intent—evidenced by the blank PDA field, the unsettled PD box, and the 'NEW MONEY' language—was that no deductions apply. The Board denied reconsideration, adopting the WCJ's Report and citing contract interpretation principles, noting defendant wasted judicial resources by advancing unpersuasive arguments.