What happens at the WCAB? Hearings, conferences and the Southern California district offices
By Law Office of Jesse Melendrez
· 7 min read
A hearing at the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) is either a conference or a trial. At a conference, a workers’ compensation judge meets with the parties, by video since March 2025, to see whether the dispute can be settled and, if not, what must be decided at trial. A trial happens in person at the district office, with testimony under oath, a court reporter and a judge, and no jury. A case reaches either one only after an Application for Adjudication of Claim opens it and a party files a Declaration of Readiness to Proceed.
The WCAB sits in the 23 district offices of the Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC), the state agency that runs the system. Nine are in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties.
What is the WCAB?
The WCAB is the court for workers’ comp disputes, whether over a denied claim or a single benefit. The name covers two levels. Workers’ compensation judges at the district offices hear cases first. Above them is the Appeals Board, seven commissioners appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate, who review judges’ decisions on petitions for reconsideration.
DWC Fact Sheet G calls the WCAB “a special court” whose procedures are “less formal” than other courts. Evidence is mostly medical reports and testimony under oath. The judge’s decision is binding on every party, and the judges “do not hear civil or criminal matters.”
How does a case get to a hearing?
Two filings come first. The Application for Adjudication of Claim (WCAB form 1) opens the case. Fact Sheet G says it generally must be filed within one year from the date of injury or the last date benefits were provided (Labor Code 5405). The file then stays inactive until a party files a Declaration of Readiness to Proceed (DWC-CA form 10250.1). I&A Guide 4 notes that no hearing is scheduled before that.
Labor Code 5501.5 sets where the application is filed: the county where the worker lives on the date of filing, the county where the injury happened (for a cumulative injury, the last injurious exposure), or, for a represented worker, the county where the attorney has a principal place of business. An employer may object to the attorney’s county within 30 days of receiving the attorney’s information request, and the application then goes to one of the other two counties. The DWC’s ZIP code locator shows which office serves a ZIP code.
A settlement can reach a judge without a hearing date. Under the WCAB’s walk-through rule, a Compromise and Release or Stipulations with Request for Award can be presented to a judge at the district office without a declaration of readiness or a notice of hearing. The hours are 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on court days. The judge approves the settlement, disapproves it, suspends action on it, or takes it for later review (8 CCR 10789).
What kinds of hearings does the WCAB hold?
Conferences, expedited hearings and trials, on a calendar that Labor Code 5502 counts from the declaration of readiness.
| Hearing | When it is set | What happens | How it is held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory settlement conference (MSC) | 10 to 30 days after the declaration (LC 5502(d)) | The judge can approve a settlement; if none, the issues are framed for trial and discovery closes | Video |
| Priority conference | Within 30 days, for a represented worker, or one employed by an illegally uninsured employer, when employment or injury at work is disputed (LC 5502(c)) | The judge tries to resolve it or sets a trial | Video |
| Expedited hearing (DWC-CA form 10208.3) | Within 30 days, for medical treatment, medical provider network, medical appointment, temporary disability, or employer-versus-employer disputes (LC 5502(b)) | A hearing and a decision on that issue | In person |
| Trial (regular hearing) | Within 75 days after the declaration, if the MSC does not resolve the case (LC 5502(d)) | Testimony and exhibits before the judge | In person |
Sources: Labor Code 5502; DWC Virtual Courtroom Resources (page dated October 2026). Read October 8, 2026. Treatment denied by utilization review is not an expedited-hearing issue. It goes to independent medical review (Labor Code 4062(b)).
What happens at a conference?
Fact Sheet G says a conference brings the parties together “to see whether agreements can be reached, and if not, to see what matters must be decided by the workers’ compensation judge and to plan further proceedings.” Testimony is not normally taken.
Since March 3, 2025, the DWC has held status conferences, MSCs, priority conferences and lien conferences on the CourtCall video platform. Access details for each judge’s virtual courtroom are on the hearing notice, and every courtroom has a call-in number. At an MSC that does not settle, each side files a pretrial conference statement with the issues, its proposed permanent disability rating, its exhibits and its witnesses. Evidence not disclosed by then is generally not admitted later (LC 5502(d)(3)).
What happens at trial?
Trials, lien trials and expedited hearings are still set in person. Fact Sheet G describes a trial as testimony and documents in evidence, recorded by a court reporter and decided by the judge alone. Trials last from one hour in simple cases to a full day or more in complicated ones. The decision is normally mailed within several weeks.
A party who disagrees can file a petition for reconsideration. I&A Guide 12 says the office that issued the decision must receive it within 20 days of the decision date, or 25 days if the decision was mailed to a California residence. The 20-day limit is in Labor Code 5903. A panel of three commissioners reviews it. The Court of Appeal and the California Supreme Court come after that.
What does the I&A unit do when a case is headed to the WCAB?
When a problem cannot be worked out with the claims administrator, the DWC guidebook says an Information and Assistance (I&A) officer can help a worker request a hearing before a workers’ compensation judge. An I&A officer cannot argue on a worker’s behalf or speak as the worker’s representative. An attorney can request the hearing and also represent the worker before the judge. Most district offices have I&A officers on staff, and the DWC’s I&A page says the unit “plays a major role in reducing litigation” before the WCAB.
The Santa Ana, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego office pages also list a Disability Evaluation Unit, where DWC disability raters rate permanent disability from medical reports. The DWC Information Services Center answers at 1-800-736-7401 on weekdays.
Which district offices hear Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego cases?
The nine DWC district offices in those four counties, with the three-letter code the DWC’s office list gives each one.
Addresses and main phone numbers as printed on each office’s dir.ca.gov page, linked from the DWC’s office locations list, read October 8, 2026 (pages dated December 2025 to May 2026). The Anaheim page’s own driving-directions link uses 1065 N. Pacificenter Drive, and the Anaheim map link in the table follows it.
The Los Angeles office is in the Junipero Serra building, where visitors pass through a metal detector and their belongings through an x-ray machine. Parking around the Santa Ana office costs up to $18 a day.
What do people get wrong about the WCAB?
- “Filing the application gets a hearing date.” Nothing is set until someone files a declaration of readiness.
- “The WCAB is only for appeals.” Its judges hear cases first, and the seven commissioners review decisions afterward.
- “Missing a hearing only slows things down.” Fact Sheet G says a worker must attend all conferences, hearings and depositions unless excused, and that failing to attend may delay a decision “or even result in its dismissal.”
- “A jury decides.” A workers’ compensation judge hears and decides the case alone.
Where does the firm fit?
The Law Office of Jesse Melendrez represents injured workers at the WCAB, with cases at the district offices in Santa Ana, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego. Our work there covers the filings above, the pretrial statement and the hearings.
This page is general information, not advice about any one case. If a claim is headed to the WCAB, or is already there, tell us what happened.
What should I read next?
- If the claim was denied: denied workers’ comp claims and My workers’ comp claim was denied in California. What now?
- How cases settle at the MSC: Stipulations vs. Compromise and Release
- QME reports: What is a QME and what happens at the exam?
- Local pages: areas we serve, including Santa Ana, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego
Common questions
How do I look up a WCAB case or its hearing date?
The DWC website has a public search for workers’ comp cases and a court calendar, both linked from its district office pages. According to DWC I&A Guide 5, every party is notified by mail when a conference is set. DWC Fact Sheet G says notice of all conferences, hearings and depositions comes by mail.
Can a case be moved to a different district office?
Labor Code 5501.6 lets either side petition the appeals board for a change of venue, which is granted for good cause. When the reason is the convenience of witnesses, the request must give their names and addresses and the substance of their testimony.
When are the district offices in session?
The Santa Ana, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego office pages list a morning session from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and an afternoon session from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m. Each of those pages also says children should not be brought to court.
Where this comes from
- DWC Fact Sheet G: Rights and obligations in asserting a claim before the WCAB (April 2024)
- California Labor Code 5502 (hearings, expedited hearings and the mandatory settlement conference)
- California Labor Code 5501.5 (where an application is filed)
- DWC, Office locations (district offices)
- DWC, Virtual Courtroom Resources
- DWC I&A Guide 12: How to file a petition for reconsideration
More on this topicDenied or delayed claims
This article is general information about California workers’ compensation, not legal advice about your case.
