For an injury in 2007, which filing invokes the jurisdiction of the WCAB?

• A. DWC-1
• B. Letter of Representation
• C. Declaration of Readiness to Proceed
• D. Application for Adjudication of Claim

Answer: (D)

To bring a workers’ compensation dispute before the WCAB, you start a formal proceeding by filing an Application for Adjudication of Claim. This pleading asserts the injury, the issues in dispute, and requests a hearing, which gives the WCAB authority over the case. The DWC-1 is an employer’s report to the Division of Workers’ Compensation and does not initiate WCAB jurisdiction. A Letter of Representation only informs the other side that an attorney will represent a party; it does not start a WCAB proceeding. A Declaration of Readiness to Proceed is a later procedural step used to move the case toward a hearing once issues are ready, not the initiation of jurisdiction. So the filing that invokes the WCAB’s jurisdiction is the Application for Adjudication of Claim.