The program
Since the 1991 reform, the Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA) has developed a roster of impartial physicians whose members are board-certified specialists under contract. Impartial physicians serving on the roster are eligible to be chosen by the DIA to examine injured workers involved in pending medical-issue disputes. A formal hearing may not take place in any matter where a medical issue is involved until a physician from our roster examines the injured worker and submits a written report to the presiding judge.
The impartial report is the sole medical evidence considered by the judge. By statute, "no additional reports or depositions of any physicians" are allowed into evidence at the hearing. (Only exception: the judge may admit additional medical evidence when the judge finds a report "inadequate" or that the medical issues are "complex.")