Demetrius Thomas — ADJ21567804, ADJ20197460, ADJ20197482

Applicant Demetrius Thomas, a grocery stocker who injured his low back on August 17, 2025, sought reconsideration of an F&O finding he did not need further medical treatment and was not entitled to a second opinion within the MPN, based on an October 16, 2025 'release from care' report from Concentra. That report was authored solely by a family nurse practitioner (FNP-C) with no supervising physician signature or involvement. The Board held that under Labor Code section 3209.10, a nurse practitioner may not be designated as a primary treating physician (PTP), and the report was therefore invalid as a basis to release applicant from care. The Board granted reconsideration, rescinded the F&O, and substituted new findings that applicant is not released from care and is entitled to designate a new PTP. The Board also criticized the WCJ for failing to create a record and transmit the earlier petition regarding a remote hearing under Perez v. Chicago Dogs.