CA Workers Comp Specialist study plan

Map the California claims-handling timeline from injury report through the 30-day investigation window and first benefit payment, writing each statutory deadline on a one-page flowchart

Define the employer's and adjuster's reporting duties, including when a claim form must be provided and when the claim must be accepted or denied

Distinguish compensable injury, specific injury, cumulative trauma, and occupational disease, and classify ten short fact patterns into the correct category

Build a personal glossary of 25 core claims-handling terms with a one-sentence original definition for each

Trace the interaction between the claims administrator's investigation duties and the start of temporary disability payments, noting the trigger dates

Explain the notice obligations owed to the injured worker at acceptance, delay, and denial, and draft a sample plain-language notice paragraph

Identify the five basic benefit categories (medical, temporary disability, permanent disability, vocational/supplemental, death) and state who qualifies for each

Compare the three claim outcomes (accepted, delayed, denied) and list the adjuster action required for each within the first 90 days

Calculate temporary disability rates from a sample average weekly wage, applying the statutory percentage and minimum and maximum caps

Determine when temporary disability begins, how it is paid, and the rules governing the 104-week and five-year limits

Sequence the steps for resolving a dispute over temporary disability entitlement, from objection through the dispute-resolution forum

Analyze three scenarios where modified or alternative work affects benefit continuation and write the correct outcome for each

Describe the treating-physician framework, including how the primary treating physician is designated and changed

Explain the medical provider network concept and how an injured worker enters and moves within it

Outline the utilization review and independent medical review processes, including timelines for each decision stage

Connect medical treatment decisions to their effect on disability status and benefit continuation

Differentiate the types of medical-legal evaluations and identify which disputes each type resolves

Draft a request for a medical-legal evaluation that states the disputed issues and the specific questions to be answered

Interpret a sample medical-legal report to extract work restrictions, apportionment statements, and permanent and stationary status

Explain the rules on qualified and agreed medical evaluators, including panel selection and replacement

Apply the official medical fee schedule structure to a set of sample bills, checking code selection, modifiers, and allowed amounts

Identify common billing errors and the correct grounds for adjusting or denying payment on a submitted bill

Sequence the bill review workflow from receipt through payment, objection, and second review

Calculate an example permanent disability rating using a given impairment number, age, and occupation adjustment

Explain how permanent disability percentages are converted into monetary awards and how weekly payment rates are set

Describe the role of apportionment in reducing a permanent disability award and apply it to two worked examples

Distinguish the supplemental job displacement benefit from other return-to-work benefits and state eligibility triggers

Analyze how a prior award or prior injury affects a new permanent disability rating in a sample case

Synthesize all four domains by working through three integrated case files from injury report to final award

Audit your earlier deliverables for errors and correct any miscalculated rates, deadlines, or ratings

Complete a timed 60-question mixed-domain practice set and categorize every miss by domain

Build a one-page quick-reference sheet of the deadlines, formulas, and thresholds you missed most often