A workers’ compensation case

Tasks 26 · due from the day the acceptance arrives

1. Read what was actually acceptedCase managerSame day

   An acceptance is rarely unqualified. Read which body parts are admitted and which are not, whether the acceptance is for medical treatment only, and whether any period is disputed. Enter only what the letter admits.

   from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords datebody partsFull acceptance / medical only / period disputed
   Acceptance received {date}. Admitted: {body parts}. Not admitted: {body parts}. {Full acceptance / medical only / period disputed}.
2. Close the ninety-day clockCase managerSame day

   Mark the presumption satisfied and record the date it closed. Keep the closed record; do not delete it.

   from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords date
   Ninety-day presumption satisfied by acceptance dated {date}. Statute closed, record retained.
3. Confirm the benefit rateParalegal3 days

   Check the temporary disability rate on the notice against the average weekly wage the file already verified. A rate set from the carrier’s wage figure rather than the true earnings is the most common and most quietly costly error in an accepted claim.

   from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords amountAgrees / disputed — objection sent
   TD rate on the notice: {amount}. Rate from the file’s verified AWW: {amount}. {Agrees / disputed — objection sent}.
4. Diary the first paymentCase manager3 days

   Set the fourteen-day check for the first payment, and a recurring fourteen-day diary after it. Confirm the client received it and knows what it is.

   from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords date
   First TD payment due {date}. Diary set. Client told what to expect and when.
5. Tell the client what acceptance meansCase manager3 days

   Write to the client: the claim is accepted, what that does and does not mean, what benefits should now start, and what to do if a payment does not arrive. Acceptance is the moment a client is most likely to think the case is over.

   from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords date
   Client written to {date} explaining the acceptance and the benefits that follow.
6. Confirm treatment is being authorizedCase manager5 days

   An accepted claim should mean authorized treatment. Confirm the treating physician can get requests approved and that the MPN, if one applies, has a doctor the client can actually see.

   from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords providerdateapplies / does not
   Treatment authorization confirmed with {provider} on {date}. MPN {applies / does not}.
7. Set the file’s next postureAttorney5 days

   With liability admitted, the case turns on permanent disability and future medical care. Decide whether to file the Application now, whether a panel is needed, and when the client should be evaluated.

   from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords file Application / holdrequested / not yetdate
   Posture after acceptance: {file Application / hold}. Panel {requested / not yet}. Next review {date}.
8. Tell the attorney, the day it arrivesCase managerSame day

   A denial is one of the few documents that is never filed silently. The attorney is told the day it lands, before anything else is done with it, because the decisions that follow are theirs and some of them are time-sensitive.

   from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords date
   Denial dated {date} received {date}. Attorney notified {date}.
9. Read the denial against the ninety daysCase managerSame day

   Compare the date on the denial with the date the claim form went to the employer. Record which side of the ninety days it falls on and put the comparison on the file. This is arithmetic, not judgement — what the firm does about it is the attorney’s call.

   from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords dateNattached / did not attach
   Claim form filed {date}; denial dated {date}; {N} days. Presumption {attached / did not attach} — for the attorney.
10. Record what was denied, and on what groundCase managerSame day

    A denial is rarely total. Record it per body part and per benefit: what is rejected, what is still admitted, and the ground the carrier gives — AOE/COE, no employment, late notice, post-termination, statute. The ground is what the later case answers, and it should be legible from the file without re-reading the letter.

    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords body parts / benefitsgroundanything
    Denied: {body parts / benefits}. Ground stated: {ground}. Still admitted: {anything}.
11. Check the letter is a proper noticeCase manager1 day

    A benefit notice has to say what it decides, why, and what the worker can do about it. Note anything missing — no date, no ground, no appeal language, no claim number, the wrong worker. Do not argue with it; record the defect so the attorney can decide whether it matters.

    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords list, or none
    Notice defects noted: {list, or none}.
12. Tell the client, plainlyCase manager2 days

    The client is told what the letter says and what happens next, in plain language. Not an opinion on the merits, not a prediction — the fact of the denial and that the firm is handling it. This call is the one the client will remember.

    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords datecall / letter
    Client advised of the denial {date}, by {call / letter}.
13. File the Application for AdjudicationAttorneyThe attorney sets it

    A denied claim is a disputed claim, and the dispute is decided at the Board. The Application commences proceedings and satisfies the one-year statute. The firm’s practice on when to file it is the attorney’s to set — this page records that it must be filed, not when.

    Producesthe decision that the claim goes to the Board, recordedNeeds first

    • the denial, delay or dispute that makes it a Board matter
    • the attorney’s direction to proceed
    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords datenumber
    Application filed {date}, ADJ {number}.
14. Get the treatment movingCase manager5 days

    A denial does not stop treatment; it stops the carrier paying for it under the claim. Confirm what the client is receiving and where, and put lien letters out to the providers who are treating. Record which providers are on notice.

    ProducesLien letters to the providersNeeds first

    • which providers are treating
    • the denial or delay letter to attach
    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords providersdate
    Lien letters sent to {providers} {date}.
15. Start the proofAttorneyThe attorney sets it

    The denial names a ground; the ground names what has to be proved. Records, a panel request, the employer’s own documents — the shape depends on the ground and it is the attorney’s to direct. What the file must show is that it was directed, and when.

    Producesthe proof plan, recordedNeeds first

    • the attorney's direction on what to prove
    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords datewhat was directed
    Proof plan noted {date}: {what was directed}.
16. File it as a delayCase managerSame day

    Behind Tab 1, named as a delay. The distinction from a denial is the whole point of this page: a denial is a decision the firm answers, a delay is an absence of one the firm waits out. Filing it under the wrong word turns the second into the first.

    Producesthe delay notice, filed at tab 1Needs first

    • the notice with its own date
    • the date it was received
    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords date
    Delay notice dated {date} received {date}. No decision made; the claim remains undecided.
17. Clip the date the letter promisesCase managerSame day

    Read the date the carrier gives itself and clip a follow-up on it. If the letter gives no date, say so on the file and set one — a delay with no end named by anybody is the one that runs longest.

    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords dateOr: no date stated — follow-up set at {date
    Delay promises a decision by {date}; follow-up clipped. {Or: no date stated — follow-up set at {date}.}
18. Check the ninety days against itCase managerSame day

    Work out how much of the ninety days is left from the claim form. The delay does not extend it. If the promised decision falls after the ninety days expire, that is worth the attorney knowing now rather than then.

    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords dateNinside / outside
    Claim form filed {date}; {N} days of the ninety remain as at {date}. Promised decision {date} falls {inside / outside} the period.
19. Record what the carrier says it is waiting onCase manager1 day

    A delay letter names what it lacks — a recorded statement, records, an investigation, a panel. Record it, because it is the list the firm can shorten. A delay waiting on something the firm can send is a delay the firm can end.

    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords whatItems the firm can supply: …
    Carrier is waiting on: {what}. {Items the firm can supply: …}
20. Send what we can sendCase manager5 days

    Where the carrier is waiting on something the firm holds — an authorisation, a report, a wage record — send it and record that it went. Where it is waiting on the client, arrange it. This is the one task on this page that changes the outcome rather than watching it.

    Producesthe carrier’s requested materialNeeds first

    • what the carrier asked for
    • what the file actually holds
    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords Whatdatewhat remains
    {What} sent to the carrier {date}. Outstanding: {what remains}.
21. Tell the client what a delay isCase manager2 days

    Clients read a delay as a refusal. Tell them plainly that no decision has been made, what the carrier says it is waiting for, and that the firm is handling it. Nothing about the merits and nothing about what the case is worth.

    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords date
    Client advised of the delay {date}. Explained no decision has been made.
22. Watch the promised dateCase managerThe date the letter names

    When the date passes with nothing, that silence is the event. Tell the attorney and record that the promised date came and went — a carrier that delays past its own date and past the ninety days has made a decision by not making one.

    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords date
    Promised decision date {date} passed with no determination. Attorney told {date}.
23. On the ninetieth day with no decision, escalate to the attorneyAttorneyThe ninetieth day

    Not the case manager. The manual says so in terms — a task at ninety days, set to the attorney — because a substantive right coming into existence is not a diary note. The task fires on the DATE, not on a letter arriving: the whole point is that nothing arrived. Where the injury is one of the presumptive ones under LC 3212–3213.2 the period was seventy-five days and this fired a fortnight ago; whether it is one of them is the attorney’s call, not the clerk’s.

    Producesthe escalation, recorded — with the two dates the period is computed fromNeeds first

    • the date the claim form was filed with the employer, which is the date the period runs from and exists nowhere but on the file
    • whether anything at all arrived — an acceptance, a denial, a delay, or nothing
    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords datedate
    Ninety days ran {date} from the claim form filed {date}. No acceptance, denial or determination received. Escalated to the attorney {date}. {Ordinary 90 / presumptive 75 per LC 3212–3213.2}.
24. Say on the file that the presumption attached, and on what datesCase managerSame day

    A right that exists and is written nowhere is indistinguishable from one that does not. The file states the arithmetic — the filing date, the ninetieth day, and that nothing was received — and states no conclusion about what follows. The determination is the attorney’s and the Board’s; the record is the firm’s.

    Producesthe record that the period ran, filed at tab 1Needs first

    • the filing date
    • the ninetieth day computed from it
    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords datedate
    Claim form filed {date}; ninety days ran {date}; nothing received. Recorded {date}. No determination made by the firm.
25. Stop the file treating liability as openCase manager2 days

    Diaries, letters and clips written while the claim was undecided assume it still is. Review what is outstanding and what the client was last told — a client told the claim is 'pending’ after the period has run is being told something the file no longer supports. What changes is the firm’s own paper, not a position taken against the carrier.

    Producesthe review, recordedNeeds first

    • what is still diarised on the assumption liability is undecided
    • what the client was last told, and when
    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords Ndate
    File reviewed {date}: {N} clips and letters written on an undecided claim, {updated / left with a reason}. Client last told {date}.
26. Hold the position if a decision arrives lateCase managerSame day it arrives

    A late acceptance does not undo a presumption that has already attached, and neither does a late denial — the manual says both. So a letter arriving on day ninety-five is filed, its date recorded against the ninetieth day, and the attorney told. What the file must not do is quietly re-date the statute record to the letter and let the earlier fact disappear.

    Producesthe late decision, filed with the comparison on its faceNeeds first

    • the date on the decision
    • the ninetieth day, already computed above
    from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords datedateN
    Decision dated {date} received {date}, {N} days after the period ran. Filed and compared to the ninetieth day {date}. Attorney told {date}.

Tasks — written for this map 6 · due from the day the letter arrives

No page in the procedure manual covers this chain yet. These tasks were written for this map because the chain routes work to others and had no owner on any step — they need an attorney’s reading before they are relied on.

1. Date-stamp it and record how it arrivedCase managerSame day

   Mail, fax, e-mail, e-service or a portal. How it arrived can decide a period — five days for mail, none for personal service — and it is read off the envelope or the header, not assumed.

   from CORR — correspondencerecords whodatemail / fax / e-mail / e-service
   Letter from {who} dated {date}, received {date} by {mail / fax / e-mail / e-service}.
2. Read what it actually asks forCase managerSame day

   Not what it is headed. A letter titled a status enquiry can contain an objection, and a letter titled an objection can ask for nothing at all. What it ASKS decides where it goes.

   from CORR — correspondencerecords objection / demand / discovery / notice / nothing asked
   Reads as: {objection / demand / discovery / notice / nothing asked}.
3. If it names a date, clip it and say where the date came fromCase managerSame day

   A date on a letter is not a statutory period, and the file must not make it look like one. Clip it, and record that it came from the letter rather than from a statute.

   from CORR — correspondencerecords date
   Clipped {date}, from the letter itself. Not a statutory period.
4. Route it to the chain it belongs toCase managerSame day

   An objection to a treating report goes to that chain; a records demand to the subpoena chain; an offer to settlement. Correspondence is what is left after those questions, not the first place a letter is put.

   Producesthe routing decision, recorded on the fileNeeds first

   • what the letter asks for
   • which chain owns that question
   from CORR — correspondencerecords chainreason
   Routed to {chain} because {reason}.
5. Tell the attorney the same day if it names a periodCase managerSame day

   Whether the letter IS an objection, and whether a statutory clock has started, is the attorney’s reading. The file records what the letter says and when it was served, and states no view about it.

   from CORR — correspondencerecords dateperiod / no period
   Attorney told {date}: letter names {period / no period}.
6. Read whether it is an objection, and say so on the fileAttorneySame day

   Whether a letter IS an objection decides whether a statutory clock has started. Politeness is not the test and the heading is not the test. The answer goes on the file in one word, because everything downstream reads it rather than re-reading the letter.

   from CORR — correspondencerecords an objection / not an objectiondatestarted {date
   Read as {an objection / not an objection} {date}. Clock {started {date} / not started}.

Tasks 9 · due from the day the report is received

1. File it, quietlyCase manager2 days

   Behind Tab 5, named for the provider and its own date. Most treating reports need nothing else, and adding a notification to each of them is how the ones that matter get missed.

   Producesthe report, filed at tab 5Needs first

   • the report type — PR-2, PR-3, PR-4
   • the provider and the report date
   from PR2 — treating physician progress / permanent & stationary reportsrecords Report typeproviderdate
   {Report type} from {provider} dated {date}, filed.
2. Read whether it decides anythingCase manager2 days

   Permanent and stationary, a change in work status, a new body part, a treatment the carrier is likely to refuse. Any of those and the attorney is told; none of them and it is filed and left.

   from PR2 — treating physician progress / permanent & stationary reportsrecords is / is notwhat it decides
   Report {is / is not} a determination: {what it decides}.
3. Where it decides something, tell the attorney and clip twenty daysCase managerSame day

   With the objection window computed from receipt. Twenty days on a represented case.

   from PR2 — treating physician progress / permanent & stationary reportsrecords date
   Determination told to the attorney {date}; objection window to {date}.
4. Record new body partsCase manager2 days

   A body part treated but never pleaded is a gap in the Application, and this is where it first becomes visible.

   from PR2 — treating physician progress / permanent & stationary reportsrecords partdatePleaded / not pleaded
   New body part {part} appears in treatment {date}. {Pleaded / not pleaded}.
5. Keep the treatment picture currentCase managerOngoing

   Who is treating, for what, and how recently. It is the answer to the question the client asks most often and the one the attorney needs before any conference.

   from PR2 — treating physician progress / permanent & stationary reportsrecords providersdate
   Treating: {providers}, most recent {date}.
6. File it and record what it says about the injuryCase manager2 days

   The mechanism described, the body parts, the doctor’s view on whether it arose at work. This is the earliest medical account and everything later is compared with it.

   ProducesDoctor’s First Report, filed at tab 5Needs first

   • the mechanism of injury as stated
   • the body parts named
   from PR2 — treating physician progress / permanent & stationary reportsrecords providerdatemechanismbody partsstated view
   First report by {provider} dated {date}: {mechanism}, {body parts}, causation {stated view}.
7. Compare it with the claimCase manager2 days

   Against the Application and the intake account. Where the body parts or the mechanism differ, that is a fact the attorney needs before the defence finds it.

   from PR2 — treating physician progress / permanent & stationary reportsrecords consistent with / differs fromdetail
   First report {consistent with / differs from} the claim: {detail}.
8. Record any body part not pleadedCase manager2 days

   A part appearing here but not in the Application is a gap, and this is the earliest point it can be seen.

   from PR2 — treating physician progress / permanent & stationary reportsrecords list, or none
   Body parts in the first report not pleaded: {list, or none}.
9. Record the work status it givesCase manager2 days

   Off work, modified, full duty — with the date. It is often the start of the temporary disability question.

   from PR2 — treating physician progress / permanent & stationary reportsrecords datestatus
   Work status from {date}: {status}.

Tasks 10 · due from the day the decision was SERVED on the employee

1. Read the descriptor firstCase managerSame day

   Denial, modification, deferral, delay or approval — before anything else, because it decides whether there is a clock at all. Write which it is on the file in that word. Everything downstream reads it rather than re-reading the letter.

   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords datedenial / modification / deferral / delay / approvalClock runs / no clock
   UR decision dated {date}: {denial / modification / deferral / delay / approval}. {Clock runs / no clock}.
2. Find the service dateCase managerSame day

   The clock runs from service on the employee. Take it off the document — the proof of service, the cover, the fax header if that is all there is — and record which one was used. Where the document does not say, that is a question, not an assumption.

   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords datewhere
   Service date {date}, taken from {where}. IMR window closes {date}.
3. Clip the IMR window to a personCase managerSame day

   Thirty days from service on the employee, or TEN where the dispute is over the formulary — and which it is comes off the denial, not from habit. The closing date is computed on the task above; this one puts it in the diary with a name against it, because a date in a memo is a date nobody owns.

   Producesthe the imr request clip, with an assigneeNeeds first

   • the date the period runs from
   • which branch of imr_appeal applies
   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decision. Deferral and delay are filed as UR-DENIAL with Descriptor Deferral / Delay until the vocabulary gains their own codes (see gaps below). When several match, the most adverse wins: denial over modification over approval.records datewho
   IMR window {30 / 10} days from {date}, closes {date}. Assigned to {who}.
4. File the denial or modification under its tabCase manager2 days

   Under its OWN date, at tab 8. The TYPE code decides the tab, which is what the code is for. A document acted on before it is filed is a document somebody is working from a copy of, and the copy is the one that gets annotated.

   Producesthe denial or modification, filed at tab 8Needs first

   • the document's own date, read off its face
   • its TYPE code — UR-DENIAL — which is what decides the tab
   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decision. Deferral and delay are filed as UR-DENIAL with Descriptor Deferral / Delay until the vocabulary gains their own codes (see gaps below). When several match, the most adverse wins: denial over modification over approval.records tabdate
   Filed tab {tab} under its own date {date}.
5. Tell the attorneyCase managerSame day

   Every denial and every modification, the day it arrives. Not because the attorney does the appeal, but because a denied treatment is a fact about the case they need before somebody asks them about it.

   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords date
   Attorney told {date}.
6. Check the letter carries what IMR needsCase manager1 day

   The treatment at issue, the determination, the dates, and the firm’s current address. A stale address is corrected on the document. A letter missing what IMR requires stops the packet — say so rather than sending an incomplete one.

   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords dateComplete / missing: …current / corrected
   Letter checked {date}. {Complete / missing: …}. Address {current / corrected}.
7. Build the packetCase manager3 days

   One PDF, in this order: the served Application for IMR completed and signed; the UR letter; the client’s authorization and representative designation; the demographics sheet on a first denial only; then the supporting reports. One attachment, never several — that is the review organization’s submission requirement, not a preference.

   ProducesIMR Application Packettemplate: Application for Independent Medical ReviewNeeds first

   • the served IMR application
   • the UR letter with a current address
   • a signed authorization and representative designation
   • the demographics sheet (first denial only)
   • the RFA and the PTP report
   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords dateNcomponents
   IMR packet assembled {date}: {N} pages, {components}.
8. A person approves the sendAttorneyBefore it goes

   The packet is sent under a person’s approval. The signature on the application is the client’s or the representative’s, and who signs is settled before the packet is built, not after.

   Producesthe approval itself, recorded on the fileNeeds first

   • the assembled packet
   • who is authorised to approve it
   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords whodate
   Packet approved by {who} {date}.
9. Send it and file the copyCase managerSame day as approval

   To the Administrative Director with a copy of the decision attached, and a copy to the claims administrator. The sent packet is filed at Tab 9 beside the denial it answers.

   Producesthe sent packet, filed at Tab 9Needs first

   • a person's approval on the send
   • the address for the AD
   • the claims administrator's address
   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords date
   IMR application sent {date} to the AD; copy to the administrator. Filed Tab 9.
10. Watch for the assignmentCase manager15 days

    What comes back lands on Tab 9. The Notice of Assignment opens a short window for supporting records; a Request for Information carries its own date; the determination is routed, never re-appealed here.

    from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords received {datedate
    NOA {received {date} / not received as at {date}}.

Tasks 8 · due from the day each document arrives

1. File each for what it isCase managerSame day

   Assignment, request, determination. They arrive from the same sender about the same dispute and they are not interchangeable — one opens a window, one asks a question, one ends the matter.

   Producesthe IMR paper, filed at tab 9 beside the denialNeeds first

   • which document it is — NOA, RFI or determination
   • its own date
   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords Documentdate
   {Document} dated {date} received {date}, filed Tab 9 beside the application.
2. On the assignment: clip the right windowCase managerSame day

   Read whether the notice went electronically, whether this is a formulary dispute, whether the review is expedited. Then clip fifteen, twelve, ten days or twenty-four hours accordingly, and write on the file which branch was used.

   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords dateelectronic / formulary / expedited / ordinary
   NOA dated {date}; {electronic / formulary / expedited / ordinary}; supporting records due {date}.
3. On the assignment: send what supports itCase managerWithin the window

   The reports that support the treatment — the same ones that went in the packet, plus anything since. The window is the employee’s and the administrator’s alike; nothing waits for their submission.

   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords datewhat
   Supporting records sent {date}: {what}.
4. On a request for information: answer it by its own dateCase managerThe date it states

   Read what is being asked, get it, and send it. An unanswered request is decided without the answer.

   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords datewhat
   RFI dated {date} asking {what}; answered {date}.
5. On a determination: read the outcome per line itemCase managerSame day

   Overturned, upheld, or partial — and a partial is per treatment, not per letter. Record the outcome for each item requested, because a determination that overturns one thing and upholds another is two results in one envelope.

   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords dateitemoverturned / upheld
   Determination dated {date}: {item} {overturned / upheld} · {item} {overturned / upheld}.
6. Route itCase managerSame day

   An overturn goes to the attorney — the treatment is authorised and someone has to make it happen. An uphold goes to the case manager, unless the treatment was surgery, homecare or a device, in which case it goes to the attorney too. The stakes decide the routing, not the outcome alone.

   Producesthe routing decision, recordedNeeds first

   • whether the determination overturned or upheld
   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords attorney / case manageroverturn / uphold on {surgery|homecare|device
   Routed to {attorney / case manager} because {overturn / uphold on {surgery|homecare|device} / uphold}.
7. On an overturn: get the treatment movingCase manager2 days

   An overturned denial means the treatment is authorised. Tell the treating physician and the client, and record that it went — an authorisation nobody acts on is the same as a denial to the person waiting for it.

   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords providerdate
   Overturn communicated to {provider} and client {date}.
8. On an uphold: put the appeal question to the attorneyCase manager2 days

   The determination is not re-appealed to IMR. The only route is review at the Board within thirty days on narrow grounds. Give the attorney the date and the document; whether any ground exists is theirs.

   from UR-DENIAL — utilization review decisionrecords date
   Uphold dated {date}; window to {date} per LC 4610.6(h). For the attorney.

Tasks 10 · due from the day the panel is assigned

1. Record how the panel arrivedCase managerSame day

   By mail or otherwise, and on what date the administrative director assigned it. Both go on the file before the strike date is computed, because both are inputs to it. This is the one task on the page that is pure clerical work and changes a deadline by five days.

   from QME — QME / panel QME reportrecords datemail / other
   Panel assigned {date}, received {date}, served by {mail / other}. Strike due {date}.
2. File the panel under its tabCase manager2 days

   Under its OWN date, at tab 6. The TYPE code decides the tab, which is what the code is for. A document acted on before it is filed is a document somebody is working from a copy of, and the copy is the one that gets annotated.

   Producesthe panel, filed at tab 6Needs first

   • the document's own date, read off its face
   • its TYPE code — QME — which is what decides the tab
   from QME — QME / panel QME report — PQME when the evaluator came from a panel, QME otherwise; also the panel, strike and appointment paper (Descriptor says which)records tabdate
   Filed tab {tab} under its own date {date}.
3. Tell the attorney the day it landsCase managerSame day

   The strike is the attorney’s choice and the window is ten days. Nothing about a panel waits.

   from QME — QME / panel QME reportrecords namesdate
   Panel of {names} told to attorney {date}.
4. Put the three evaluators in front of the attorneyCase manager1 day

   Names, specialties, locations. Whatever the firm knows about each. The choice is the attorney’s and it is made once — the file’s job is to make it an informed one rather than a hurried one.

   from QME — QME / panel QME reportrecords date
   Panel detail assembled {date}.
5. Serve the strikeAttorneyWithin the window

   A served letter is the practice; no rule prescribes a form. Serve it and file the proof — a strike nobody can prove was served is a strike that may not have happened.

   ProducesThe strike lettertemplate: Letter striking one evaluator from the panelNeeds first

   • the panel list with the assignment date
   • the attorney's choice of strike
   • how the panel was served — mail adds five days
   from QME — QME / panel QME reportrecords datepartiesname
   Strike served {date} on {parties}; POS filed. Evaluator remaining: {name}.
6. Schedule within ten business daysCase manager10 business days from selection

   Business days. If the firm does not schedule, the claims administrator may — and then the appointment is theirs to arrange rather than ours.

   Producesthe appointment, calendared with an assigneeNeeds first

   • the evaluator selected after the strike
   • the evaluator's scheduling contact
   from QME — QME / panel QME reportrecords evaluatordate
   Appointment with {evaluator} set for {date}, arranged {date}.
7. Calendar the appointment with an assigneeCase managerOn scheduling

   The appointment is a calendar entry and it must belong to a person. An event with no assignee is owned by nobody and appears on nobody’s calendar.

   from QME — QME / panel QME reportrecords datewho
   Appointment {date} calendared to {who}.
8. Arrange the client’s side of itCase manager5 days before

   Tell the client where and when, arrange an interpreter if one is needed, and transport if that is the firm’s practice. An evaluation the client cannot get to is an evaluation that has to be scheduled again.

   Producesthe client’s appointment letterNeeds first

   • the appointment date and address
   • whether an interpreter is needed
   • how the client travels
   from QME — QME / panel QME reportrecords datearranged / not needed
   Client notified {date}; interpreter {arranged / not needed}; transport {arranged / not needed}.
9. Serve the records twenty days aheadAttorney20 days before they go

   Decide when the records go to the evaluator, then work backwards. Serve the other side twenty days before that date and hold the records until it passes. Anything to an AME needs the parties’ agreement.

   ProducesRecords Set for the EvaluatorNeeds first

   • the records proposed, from tabs 5, 7 and 13
   • every party's address
   • a cover letter naming what is enclosed
   from QME — QME / panel QME reportrecords partiesdate
   Records served on {parties} {date}; earliest send to evaluator {date}.
10. Read what they serve, within ten daysAttorney10 days from their service

    Their proposed records arrive with a ten-day objection window, and an objection not made at the first opportunity is taken as agreement. Read them and put the question to the attorney with days still on the clock.

    from QME — QME / panel QME reportrecords dateobjected {date
    Their records served {date}; objection window to {date}; {objected {date} / no objection}.

Tasks 10 · due from the day the report is served

1. Tell the attorneyCase managerSame day

   Always, without a condition. This is the report the case is valued from and the attorney reads it themselves — the file does not summarise it for them.

   from PQME — QME / panel QME reportrecords evaluatordate
   Report by {evaluator} dated {date}, exam {date}, served {date}. Attorney told {date}.
2. Record the three datesCase managerSame day

   Examination, report, service. Each is a different clock: the exam date is what the thirty days ran from, the report date is what it produced, the service date is what any objection runs from. A file that holds one of them holds none of the answers.

   from PQME — QME / panel QME reportrecords dateN
   Exam {date}; report {date}; served {date}. Report was {N} days after the exam.
3. File the report under its tabCase manager2 days

   Under its OWN date, at tab 7. The TYPE code decides the tab, which is what the code is for. A document acted on before it is filed is a document somebody is working from a copy of, and the copy is the one that gets annotated.

   Producesthe report, filed at tab 7Needs first

   • the document's own date, read off its face
   • its TYPE code — PQME — which is what decides the tab
   from PQME — QME / panel QME report — PQME when the evaluator came from a panel, QME otherwise; also the panel, strike and appointment paper (Descriptor says which)records tabdate
   Filed tab {tab} under its own date {date}.
4. Check whether the report was lateCase manager1 day

   Thirty days from the exam, plus fifteen if good cause was claimed. Work out the gap and put it on the file. A late report is a statutory ground to replace the evaluator — whether the firm wants that is entirely the attorney’s question.

   from PQME — QME / panel QME reportrecords NWithin / beyond
   Exam to report: {N} days. {Within / beyond} the period. For the attorney.
5. Record the findings, not the ratingCase manager2 days

   Whole-person impairment per body part, apportionment per body part, the maximum-medical-improvement status and date, work restrictions, and the page each was found on. What the report concludes about a percentage is recorded as what the report says — never adopted as the file’s own figure.

   from PQME — QME / panel QME reportrecords reportparts and WPI…status / date
   Findings recorded from {report}: {parts and WPI}, apportionment {…}, MMI {status/date}.
6. Flag what the report does not coverCase manager2 days

   Compare the body parts evaluated against the body parts pleaded and the body parts treated. A part that was treated but not evaluated, or pleaded but not addressed, is a gap — and it is far cheaper to notice now than after the conference.

   from PQME — QME / panel QME reportrecords parts
   Evaluated: {parts}. Pleaded but not addressed: {parts}. Treated but not evaluated: {parts}.
7. Put the objection question to the attorneyCase manager3 days

   Whether to object, ask for a supplemental, or accept it. There is no statutory clock, which is precisely why it needs a date — an open question with no deadline is the one that reaches the conference unanswered.

   from PQME — QME / panel QME reportrecords date
   Objection question put to the attorney {date}; their date {date}.
8. Decide whether to object, and record it either wayAttorneyWithin the thirty days

   Whether the report is objectionable, and on what. A decision not to object is recorded — the report stands as evidence either way, and the file must show that was a choice.

   from PQME — QME / panel QME reportrecords datemade / not made…
   Objection to the {date} report {made / not made} {date}. Reason: {…}.
9. Clip whatever they decide against the conferenceCase managerOn the attorney’s decision

   A supplemental request, a deposition of the evaluator, further records — each gets a date that falls before the conference, not on it. The conference is the wall; everything is scheduled to land before it.

   from PQME — QME / panel QME reportrecords Whatdate
   {What} clipped for {date}, ahead of the conference on {date}.
10. Tell the client where the case standsCase manager5 days

    The report has been received and the attorney is reviewing it. Not what it says about their percentage, not what the case is now worth — those are the attorney’s to discuss and premature from anyone else.

    from PQME — QME / panel QME reportrecords date
    Client advised the report was received {date}.

Tasks — written for this map 7 · due from the day the request is served

No page in the procedure manual covers this chain yet. These tasks were written for this map because the chain has a date somebody must act on and named nobody — they need an attorney’s reading before they are relied on.

1. Date-stamp it and record how it was servedCase managerSame day

   How it arrived can change what is left of the period, and a written discovery request is easy to mistake for ordinary mail.

   from DISCOVERY — written discoveryrecords whodatemethod
   Discovery request from {who}, dated {date}, served {date} by {method}.
2. File the request under its tabCase manager2 days

   Under its OWN date, at tab 12. The TYPE code decides the tab, which is what the code is for. A document acted on before it is filed is a document somebody is working from a copy of, and the copy is the one that gets annotated.

   Producesthe request, filed at tab 12Needs first

   • the document's own date, read off its face
   • its TYPE code — DISCOVERY — which is what decides the tab
   from DISCOVERY — written discovery — interrogatories, requests for admission, requests for production served by a partyrecords tabdate
   Filed tab {tab} under its own date {date}.
3. Find the response date the request statesCase managerSame day

   It is printed on the request. This is the one period on the map that is in no statute, which is exactly why it must be read off the document rather than assumed from a rule.

   from DISCOVERY — written discoveryrecords date
   Response date on the request: {date}. Source: the request itself.
4. Tell the attorney the same day, with that dateCase managerSame day

   Whether the request is answerable, objectionable or impossible on its own date is the attorney’s. The file records the date and who was told.

   from DISCOVERY — written discoveryrecords date
   Attorney told {date}; response date {date}.
5. Clip the response date and say it came from the requestCase managerSame day

   A clip that does not say where its date came from cannot be checked later. Where the request names no date, the attorney sets one and the file records that it was set rather than found.

   from DISCOVERY — written discoveryrecords datefrom the request / set by the attorney
   Clipped {date}, {from the request / set by the attorney}.
6. Decide what is answered and what is objected toAttorneyBefore the response date

   Which requests are answered, which are objected to, and on what ground. A request that names an impossible date is answered by saying so rather than treated as void.

   from DISCOVERY — written discoveryrecords dateanswer / object…
   Response directed {date}: {answer / object} per request. Grounds: {…}.
7. Assemble what answering it needsParalegalOn the attorney’s direction

   What the request asks for, from the file. Where answering needs records the firm does not hold, that is a subpoena and a different chain.

   Producesthe material the response will draw onNeeds first

   • what the request asks for
   • what the file already holds
   • the attorney's direction on what is objectionable
   from DISCOVERY — written discoveryrecords datewhat
   Assembled for the response {date}: {what}. Outstanding: {what}.

Tasks 7 · due from the day the notice is served

1. Check the date is far enough outCase managerSame day

   At least ten days after service; twenty after issuance where records were subpoenaed for it. Work it out and record it — a short notice is answered, not accommodated.

   from DEPO-NOTICE — deposition notice / transcriptrecords dateNSufficient / short — attorney told
   Notice served {date} for {date}: {N} days. {Sufficient / short — attorney told}.
2. Tell the attorneyCase managerSame day

   Whether to object, seek a different date, or accept it. And whether the attorney is available, which is not a detail.

   from DEPO-NOTICE — deposition notice / transcriptrecords date
   Deposition notice told to the attorney {date}.
3. Calendar it with an assigneeCase manager1 day

   It is a date somebody has to attend. An event owned by nobody appears on nobody’s calendar.

   from DEPO-NOTICE — deposition notice / transcriptrecords datewho
   Deposition {date} calendared to {who}.
4. Arrange the clientCase manager5 days before

   Tell them when and where, arrange an interpreter if one is needed, arrange transport. Confirm the day before — a deposition the client does not attend is rescheduled at cost.

   Producesthe client’s confirmation letterNeeds first

   • the noticed date and address
   • whether an interpreter is needed
   from DEPO-NOTICE — deposition notice / transcriptrecords datearranged / not needed
   Client confirmed {date}; interpreter {arranged / not needed}; transport {arranged / not needed}.
5. Prepare the clientAttorneyBefore the date

   The attorney’s work, and the file records that it happened.

   Producesthe preparation session, recordedNeeds first

   • the attorney's time
   • the file the client will be asked about
   from DEPO-NOTICE — deposition notice / transcriptrecords attorneydate
   Client prepared by {attorney} {date}.
6. Claim what is owedCase manager5 days after

   Transportation, lost wages, meals and the interpreter are known on the day and are claimed now — waiting on the transcript to claim any of it is how a claim goes stale. The TRANSCRIPT cost is not known yet; it is claimed when the transcript arrives, and the file says which items are outstanding.

   Producesthe LC 5710 costs claimNeeds first

   • transportation and lost wages
   • the interpreter's invoice
   • the attorney's fee figure
   from DEPO-NOTICE — deposition notice / transcriptrecords datetransportation, wages, interpreter, meals
   LC 5710 costs claimed {date}: {transportation, wages, interpreter, meals}. Transcript cost outstanding.
7. File the transcript when it comesCase managerOn receipt

   It goes behind Tab 12 with its own date. And it carries the last LC 5710 item: the transcript cost, which could not be claimed when the rest was.

   Producesthe transcript, filed at tab 12Needs first

   • the transcript as delivered
   • the date it was received
   from DEPO-NOTICE — deposition notice / transcriptrecords date
   Transcript received {date}, filed. Transcript cost claimed {date}.

Tasks — written for this map 8 · due from the day the report is received

No page in the procedure manual covers this chain yet. These tasks were written for this map because the chain names a period in its own prose and owned nobody — they need an attorney’s reading before they are relied on.

1. Date-stamp it on RECEIPT, not on its own dateCase managerSame day

   The twenty days run from receipt. A report dated three weeks before it arrives has not been sitting on a running clock, and a report that arrived before it was date-stamped has. Receipt is the date the period is computed from and it exists nowhere but on the stamp.

   from MEDREC — medical records, imaging, operative reports, records returned on subpoenarecords dateprovidermethod
   Report of {date} from {provider} received {date} by {method}.
2. File it behind the treating medicalCase manager2 days

   Tab 5 by default; tab 13 where it came back on a subpoena, because how it arrived is what a later reader needs to know about it.

   Producesthe report, filed at tab 5 — or tab 13 where it returned on a subpoenaNeeds first

   • the provider and the report date
   • how it arrived — direct from the provider, or on a subpoena, which is what decides the tab
   from MEDREC — medical records, imaging, operative reports, records returned on subpoenarecords 5 / 13date
   Filed tab {5 / 13} under {date}.
3. Read whether it DECIDES anythingCase managerSame day

   Most reports continue treatment and need nothing. A report that changes work restrictions, states maximum medical improvement, apportions, or releases the worker DECIDES something — and that one starts twenty days to object. Spotting it is the whole job of this chain; the reading of what follows is the attorney’s.

   from MEDREC — medical records, imaging, operative reports, records returned on subpoenarecords datecontinues treatment / decides {what
   Report of {date}: {continues treatment / decides {what}}.
4. Clip the twenty days where it decides somethingCase managerSame day

   Twenty days from RECEIPT, not from the report’s own date, and only where the report decides something — most do not. A report that decides nothing is filed and needs no clip; clipping every report buries the one that matters.

   Producesthe objecting to a treating physician’s determination clip, with an assigneeNeeds first

   • the date the period runs from
   • which branch of ptp_objection applies
   from MEDREC — medical records, imaging, operative reports, records returned on subpoenarecords datewho
   Report of {date} received {date}; objection window closes {date}. Assigned to {who}.
5. Tell the attorney the same day where it decides somethingCase managerSame day

   With the receipt date, because that is what the twenty days count from. The file records the date it went and no view on whether an objection lies.

   from MEDREC — medical records, imaging, operative reports, records returned on subpoenarecords date
   Attorney told {date}; report received {date}; twenty days to {date}.
6. Decide whether to object, and record it either wayAttorneyWithin the twenty days

   Twenty days from receipt where the worker is represented. A decision not to object is recorded with its date and its reason — the report stands as evidence either way, and the file must show that was a choice rather than a period that ran out.

   from MEDREC — medical records, imaging, operative reports, records returned on subpoenarecords datemade / not made…
   Objection to the {date} report {made / not made} {date}. Reason: {…}.
7. Record new body parts against what was pleadedCase manager2 days

   A body part treated but never pleaded is a gap in the Application. This is where it first becomes visible, and it is visible nowhere else — the pleading is not re-read every time a report arrives.

   from MEDREC — medical records, imaging, operative reports, records returned on subpoenarecords datelistwhat
   Body parts in the {date} report: {list}. Pleaded: {list}. Gap: {what}.
8. Keep the running list a demand is built fromParalegalOn each report

   Providers, dates of service, findings. Assembling this at the point a demand is made means assembling it from a file nobody indexed, months later.

   from MEDREC — medical records, imaging, operative reports, records returned on subpoenarecords date
   Treatment list current to {date}.

Tasks 7 · due from the day the offer arrives

1. Check the date of injury firstCase managerSame day

   Before anything else, because it decides which statute the document is read under. The same offer is a fifteen per cent adjustment on one case and a voucher question on another.

   from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords dateLC 4658(d) / LC 4658.7
   Offer dated {date}; DOI {date}; read under {LC 4658(d) / LC 4658.7}.
2. Tell the attorneyCase managerSame day

   Every offer of work, the day it arrives, whichever rule applies.

   from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords date
   Attorney told {date}.
3. Record what is actually offeredCase manager1 day

   Regular, modified or alternative; the duties, the wage, the hours, and — for a post-2013 injury — whether it is for at least twelve months. The twelve months is what decides the voucher and it is often not stated plainly.

   from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords typedutieswagehoursN months
   Offered: {type}, {duties}, {wage}, {hours}, duration {N months}.
4. File the offer letter under its tabCase manager2 days

   Under its OWN date, at tab 10. The TYPE code decides the tab, which is what the code is for. A document acted on before it is filed is a document somebody is working from a copy of, and the copy is the one that gets annotated.

   Producesthe offer letter, filed at tab 10Needs first

   • the document's own date, read off its face
   • its TYPE code — BENEFITS — which is what decides the tab
   from BENEFITS — benefit notice (claim accepted/denied/delayed; TD/PD notices; offer of work; SJDB)records tabdate
   Filed tab {tab} under its own date {date}.
5. Compare it with the work restrictionsCase manager2 days

   Against the restrictions in the most recent report. Where the offer exceeds them, that is a fact worth putting in front of the attorney rather than in front of the client.

   from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords dateconsistent / exceeds in …
   Offer compared with restrictions of {date}: {consistent / exceeds in …}.
6. Tell the client and get their instructionsAttorney3 days

   What is offered, what accepting or declining does. On a post-2013 injury that includes what happens to the voucher. This conversation is the attorney’s because the consequences are legal ones.

   from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords date…
   Offer discussed with the client {date}; instructions {…}.
7. Record the response and its dateCase managerOn the client’s decision

   Accepted, declined, or no response — with the date. It is the fact everything afterwards turns on.

   from BENEFITS — benefit noticerecords accepted / declined / no responsedate
   Offer {accepted / declined / no response} {date}.

Tasks — written for this map 5 · due from the day the Order Suspending Action is served

No page in the procedure manual covers this chain yet. These tasks were written for this map because the chain routes work to others and had no owner on any step — they need an attorney’s reading before they are relied on.

1. Read what the order actually asks forCase managerSame day

   An OSA names what is missing — a report, a fee declaration, a civil-case fact, a signature. It is a list, and it is answered item by item rather than by resubmitting the same settlement.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords dateitems
   OSA served {date}. Asks for: {items}.
2. File the Order Suspending Action under its tabCase manager2 days

   Under its OWN date, at tab 2. The TYPE code decides the tab, which is what the code is for. A document acted on before it is filed is a document somebody is working from a copy of, and the copy is the one that gets annotated.

   Producesthe Order Suspending Action, filed at tab 2Needs first

   • the document's own date, read off its face
   • its TYPE code — ORDER — which is what decides the tab
   from ORDER — an order of the Board (approving, to show cause, dismissal, findings & award, the judge\'s Report & Recommendation — Board-issued paper on reconsideration)records tabdate
   Filed tab {tab} under its own date {date}.
3. Tell the attorney and put the settlement back on the file as pendingCase managerSame day

   The settlement is not approved and is not dead. It sits pending, and anything that assumed approval — a payment diary, a closing letter — is held.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords dateitems
   Attorney told {date}. Settlement of {date} pending; {items} held.
4. Assemble what it asks forParalegalOn the attorney’s direction

   Medicals, civil-case facts, fee support. What the judge asked for and not more — an OSA is not an invitation to refile the whole thing.

   Producesthe items the order namedNeeds first

   • the order's own list
   • the attorney's direction on each item
   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords datewhat
   Assembled for the OSA {date}: {what}.
5. Resubmit, and record what changedAttorneyThe attorney sets the date

   The amended settlement goes back with the items supplied. What changed between the version the judge suspended and this one is recorded, because the file must be able to show it.

   Producesthe amended settlementNeeds first

   • the assembled items
   • the settlement the judge suspended
   • the attorney's signature
   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords datewhat
   Resubmitted {date}. Changed from the {date} version: {what}.

Tasks 8 · due from the day the order is served

1. Tell the attorney the day it arrivesCase managerSame day

   Every order, without exception. The window is short and it starts from service, which may already have been some days ago.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords Order typedate
   {Order type} dated {date}, served {date}, received {date}. Attorney told {date}.
2. Record the service date and the methodCase managerSame day

   Both. The method decides whether the window is twenty, twenty-five, thirty or forty days, and it is read off the proof of service rather than assumed from the envelope.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords datemethodaddress type
   Served {date} by {method} to {address type}. Window closes {date}.
3. Read what it actually decidesCase managerSame day

   In plain terms, on the file: what was ordered, in whose favour, and on what issues. An order nobody can summarise is an order somebody has to re-read every time it comes up.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords what
   Order decides: {what}.
4. File the decision or award under its tabCase manager2 days

   Under its OWN date, at tab 2. The TYPE code decides the tab, which is what the code is for. A document acted on before it is filed is a document somebody is working from a copy of, and the copy is the one that gets annotated.

   Producesthe decision or award, filed at tab 2Needs first

   • the document's own date, read off its face
   • its TYPE code — ORDER — which is what decides the tab
   from ORDER — an order of the Board (approving, to show cause, dismissal, findings & award, the judge\'s Report & Recommendation — Board-issued paper on reconsideration)records tabdate
   Filed tab {tab} under its own date {date}.
5. Put the reconsideration question to the attorneyCase manager1 day

   With the computed date attached. Whether to seek reconsideration, whether it is removal instead, or whether to accept it — all theirs. The file supplies the date and the document.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords date
   Recon window to {date} put to the attorney {date}.
6. Decide whether to seek reconsideration, and record it either wayAttorneyWithin the twenty days

   Final or interlocutory, and whether a ground exists. A decision NOT to seek reconsideration is recorded with its date and its reason — an unrecorded decision is indistinguishable from a missed deadline, and the twenty days do not come back.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords sought / not soughtdate…
   Reconsideration {sought / not sought} {date}. Reason: {…}.
7. If an award: clip the paymentCase managerOn the order

   The date the award sets, or a thirty-day check where it sets none.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords date
   Payment due {date} per the award.
8. Tell the clientCase manager2 days

   What the order says, in plain language. Not what it means for their case going forward — that is the attorney’s conversation and often depends on decisions not yet made.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords date
   Client advised of the order {date}.

Tasks 9 · due from the day the petition is filed or served

1. Name which petition it isCase managerSame day

   Reopen, reconsideration, removal, terminate, commutation, penalties. Everything else on this page depends on it, and the file name should carry it.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords typepartydate
   Petition {type} filed by {party} {date}.
2. Tell the attorneyCase managerSame day

   Ours or theirs. A petition is always attorney work.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords date
   Attorney told {date}.
3. If theirs: clip whatever answer period appliesCase managerSame day

   An answer to a petition for reconsideration is ten pages and has its own period. Put the date in front of the attorney with the document.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords date
   Answer window to {date}; attorney told.
4. If ours: verify it and serve itCase managerOn the attorney’s direction

   A petition for reconsideration is verified and served with a proof of service. File it in EAMS or with the district office.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords dateparties
   Petition filed {date}, verified, served on {parties}; POS filed.
5. Watch for the Report and RecommendationCase manager30 days

   On a reconsideration petition its service is notice that the case went up, and it starts the Board’s own sixty days.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords served {datedate
   R&R {served {date} → Board’s 60 days to {date} / not served as at {date}}.
6. File it as its own proceedingCase manager2 days

   Behind the pleadings, named for what it is. It is not correspondence and it is not part of the Application.

   Producesthe 132a petition or SIBTF applicationNeeds first

   • the attorney's direction on which it is
   • the facts it pleads
   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords 132a petition / SIBTF applicationdate
   {132a petition / SIBTF application} filed {date}.
7. Assemble what it rests onCase managerOn direction

   A §132a rests on what the employer did and when — termination dates, communications, the timing against the claim. A SIBTF application rests on the earlier disability: its records, its ratings, its dates. Both are evidence-gathering the file can do while the attorney frames the pleading.

   Producesthe exhibit set for the proceedingNeeds first

   • what the petition asserts
   • the documents that prove each assertion
   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords proceedingwhat
   Assembled for {proceeding}: {what}.
8. Record the dates it turns onCase managerOn direction

   For a §132a, the date of the act complained of. For a SIBTF application, the dates of the prior injury and its resolution.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords list
   Key dates: {list}.
9. Keep it visibleCase managerOngoing

   A collateral proceeding is the thing most easily forgotten on a busy file, because nothing routine touches it.

   from ORDER — an order of the Boardrecords date…
   Status as at {date}: {…}.

Tasks 8 · due from the day the lien is served

1. Log it against the caseParalegal2 days

   Claimant, amount, the services claimed and their dates. Liens are managed as a list, and a lien not on the list is a lien discovered at settlement.

   from LIEN — lien claimrecords claimantamountdates
   Lien logged: {claimant}, {amount}, services {dates}.
2. File the lien under its tabCase manager2 days

   Under its OWN date, at tab 15. The TYPE code decides the tab, which is what the code is for. A document acted on before it is filed is a document somebody is working from a copy of, and the copy is the one that gets annotated.

   Producesthe lien, filed at tab 15Needs first

   • the document's own date, read off its face
   • its TYPE code — LIEN — which is what decides the tab
   from LIEN — lien claimrecords tabdate
   Filed tab {tab} under its own date {date}.
3. Check it was filed in timeParalegal3 days

   Compare the service dates against the filing date — eighteen months for services from July 2013, three years before that. Record the comparison; whether to act on it is the attorney’s.

   from LIEN — lien claimrecords datesdatewithin / beyond
   Services {dates}; lien filed {date}; {within / beyond} the period. For the attorney.
4. Decide whether to act on a lien filed out of timeAttorneyBefore the lien conference

   The file records whether the lien was filed inside its period and whether the declaration under penalty of perjury is there. Whether to raise either is the attorney’s, and a lien not objected to is a lien that stands.

   from LIEN — lien claimrecords datetimely / out of timepresent / absentObjection raised {date
   Lien of {date}: {timely / out of time}, declaration {present / absent}. {Objection raised {date} / no objection}.
5. Check the declaration is thereParalegal3 days

   Without the declaration under penalty of perjury the lien is dismissed by operation of law. Its absence is worth noticing early rather than at the conference.

   from LIEN — lien claimrecords present / absentpaid / not evidenced
   Declaration {present / absent}; filing fee {paid / not evidenced}.
6. Check the services against the caseParalegal5 days

   Do the dates fall in the treatment period? Are the body parts the ones in issue? A lien for treatment on a body part never pleaded is a different conversation from one that is simply large.

   from LIEN — lien claimrecords consistent / inconsistentdetail
   Services {consistent / inconsistent} with the treatment record: {detail}.
7. Calendar any lien conference with an assigneeParalegalOn the notice

   It is an appearance and somebody has to make it.

   from LIEN — lien claimrecords datewho
   Lien conference {date} calendared to {who}.
8. Keep the list current for settlementParalegalOngoing

   Liens are what a settlement has to deal with. The list is only useful if it is right on the day the settlement is drafted.

   from LIEN — lien claimrecords dateNtotal
   Lien list current as at {date}: {N} liens, {total}.