SimilarCase is a search tool for people researching California workers' compensation decisions. Start with a disputed issue or a fact pattern, review the matching decisions, and open the original document to check the reasoning and outcome.
One result from California's Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) shows what that process looks like. The issue that brought the document into the results and the order the panel issued belong in separate fields.
Run the query and record the result
A query for utilization review under the medical treatment issue returned docket ADJ18538112, a May 10, 2024 panel decision. These are the inputs used for the lookup.
{ "name": "find_wcab_decisions", "arguments": { "issue": "medical_treatment_ur_imr", "keywords": "utilization review" } } The result points to page 3 and reports that reconsideration was denied. That gives the reader a docket, a page reference, and a procedural outcome to verify. SimilarCase result for ADJ18538112
Read the source in two places
Page 3 explains the issue match. The request for treatment had the expedited-review box checked, and the applicant challenged the timeliness of the response. The decision recounts the judge's finding that the record did not substantiate expedited review and that the response was timely under the timeframe the judge applied. Page 1 records the panel's disposition denying reconsideration. Official WCAB decision, pages 1 and 3
A search card can keep those checks separate.
| Field | What to show in this example |
|---|---|
| Issue match | Timeliness of utilization review |
| Supporting passage | Page 3 of the official decision |
| Procedural outcome | Petition for reconsideration denied |
| Source and decision type | Official PDF, panel decision |
The distinction also matters for the authority label. The WCAB lists panel decisions separately and describes them as nonbinding. Showing the type alongside the source helps a reader understand how to use a matching document in their research. WCAB decision collections
