10/13/2026
Hurt at work in Southern California? At some point a doctor you’ve never met will decide what your injury is worth. That’s the QME — the Qualified Medical Evaluator — and most people walk into that room with no idea what it is.
Here’s the short version. When your doctor and the insurer disagree, the state sends a tie-breaker. You get a list of three names and a short window to pick one. You get a single visit, often under an hour, and that visit sets your rating. Then a report shows up weeks later, and the number in it becomes your number unless you challenge it in time.
Three things change the outcome:
Bring the file. Every record, every medication, a timeline, every injury. They rate what’s on paper.
Show your worst day. Be honest, but don’t be brave in that room.
Read every page of the report. If it’s wrong, say so. Don’t sign what you don’t understand.
Swipe through. Then send it to the one person at your job who’s going to need it.
Pacific Attorney Group · Workers’ Comp · Southern California