Guimaraes, Guilherme

Applicant, a Los Angeles County firefighter, sustained two injuries: a specific injury (left shoulder and left elbow) on September 1, 2022, and a cumulative trauma injury (right wrist and left upper extremity) during 2014-2023. The WCJ found him entitled to separate Labor Code section 4850 salary continuation benefits for each claim, finding the periods of disability only partially overlapped. Defendant sought reconsideration, arguing that because the claims shared a common body part (left upper extremity/elbow) and applicant had already received 52 weeks of 4850 benefits on the specific injury, he was disqualified from additional 4850 benefits on the cumulative trauma claim. The Board adopted the WCJ's reasoning that entitlement to 4850 benefits is determined per claim based on the time period and cause of disability rather than shared body parts, and that the non-overlapping continued disability from the cumulative trauma case independently entitled applicant to 4850 benefits. The Board denied reconsideration.