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Gary Peachey — ADJ12492033

GARY PEACHEY, Applicant vs. CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, Defendant

ADJ number: ADJ12492033
Decision date: May 14, 2026
District office: San Francisco
WCJ: Mark L. Kahn (Workers' Compensation Arbitrator)
Claim administrator: City and County of San Francisco (self-insured)
Commissioners: —

Injury / body parts: left hand, blood, Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)

LC §5909LC §5900LC §3600LC §3202.5

Summary

Police Officer Gary Peachey sustained an admitted needlestick injury to his left hand on September 4, 2018, while clearing a homeless encampment, and was prescribed two prophylactic antiviral medications. He later developed Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), diagnosed in May 2019. The arbitrator found that ITP was a compensable consequence of the needlestick injury and the resulting medication, crediting the primary treating physician (Dr. Savage) over the QME (Dr. Fishman). Defendant City and County of San Francisco petitioned for reconsideration, arguing Dr. Savage's opinion was not substantial evidence and applicant failed to meet his burden of proving industrial causation. The WCAB denied reconsideration, adopting the arbitrator's Report, and also addressed the timeliness of its decision under amended Labor Code section 5909, finding it acted within 60 days of the case's transmission on March 16, 2026.

Issues

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Holding

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Analysis

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Applicant takeaway

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Defense takeaway

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Provider takeaway

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Similar decisions

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Full case search with summaries, PDFs, holdings, and filters is included with Member. This block is a decorative placeholder so the page layout is visible without exposing restricted text. Sign in or subscribe to Member to read the complete decision. The panel considered the record, the applicable statutes, and the arguments of the parties. Member is $25/month or $250/year and includes the weekly email digest, full case search, and bookmarks.

Full case search with summaries, PDFs, holdings, and filters is included with Member. This block is a decorative placeholder so the page layout is visible without exposing restricted text. Sign in or subscribe to Member to read the complete decision. The panel considered the record, the applicable statutes, and the arguments of the parties. Member is $25/month or $250/year and includes the weekly email digest, full case search, and bookmarks.

Full case search with summaries, PDFs, holdings, and filters is included with Member. This block is a decorative placeholder so the page layout is visible without exposing restricted text. Sign in or subscribe to Member to read the complete decision. The panel considered the record, the applicable statutes, and the arguments of the parties. Member is $25/month or $250/year and includes the weekly email digest, full case search, and bookmarks.

Full case search with summaries, PDFs, holdings, and filters is included with Member. This block is a decorative placeholder so the page layout is visible without exposing restricted text. Sign in or subscribe to Member to read the complete decision. The panel considered the record, the applicable statutes, and the arguments of the parties. Member is $25/month or $250/year and includes the weekly email digest, full case search, and bookmarks.

Full case search with summaries, PDFs, holdings, and filters is included with Member. This block is a decorative placeholder so the page layout is visible without exposing restricted text. Sign in or subscribe to Member to read the complete decision. The panel considered the record, the applicable statutes, and the arguments of the parties. Member is $25/month or $250/year and includes the weekly email digest, full case search, and bookmarks.

Full case search with summaries, PDFs, holdings, and filters is included with Member. This block is a decorative placeholder so the page layout is visible without exposing restricted text. Sign in or subscribe to Member to read the complete decision. The panel considered the record, the applicable statutes, and the arguments of the parties. Member is $25/month or $250/year and includes the weekly email digest, full case search, and bookmarks.

Full case search with summaries, PDFs, holdings, and filters is included with Member. This block is a decorative placeholder so the page layout is visible without exposing restricted text. Sign in or subscribe to Member to read the complete decision. The panel considered the record, the applicable statutes, and the arguments of the parties. Member is $25/month or $250/year and includes the weekly email digest, full case search, and bookmarks.