Q: I have written regarding workmenscomp to several layers listed here, without any replies.Please help.

A: IF your treating physician wrote a Maximum Medical Improvement report and the district's adjuster agrees with this medical report , there is a slight possibility the insurer would like to close out this old case with a small lump-sum settlement called a Compromise & Release Agreement. It is like a divorce from the old employer and it's adjusting service (school districts typically use York and Keenan to spend the district's money), where you surrender all possible future rights for a one-time payment, and you may never return to the district for any benefit ever again. ONCE THE ADJUSTER learns you are out of the country and you cannot attend any medical evaluations, the adjuster can just schedule an evaluation, you will not attend, then the adjuster may petition the WCAB Judge for a dismissal for refusal to participate in discovery, and you claim would be dismissed. SO YOU WOULD NEED a local contact and phone in southern california to create the illusion that you would be available for a deposition or a medical evaluation if absolutely necessary...only then would it be cost-effective for the adjuster to offer some money just to make this claim go away forever. DO YOU HAVE a good friend or family member near Simi Valley where you could claim you are staying for the next few months? WOULD YOU ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO RETURN TO CALIFORNIA for a medical evaluation or a deposition if a workers comp judge ordered you attend?