Rule 8.720. Review of Workers' Compensation Appeals Board cases
Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.720
Current text effective April 25, 2019.
#(a) Petition
#(1) A petition to review an order, award, or decision of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board must include:
#(2) If the petition claims that the board's ruling is not supported by substantial evidence, it must fairly state and attach copies of all the relevant material evidence.
#(3) The petition must be verified.
#(4) The petition must be accompanied by proof of service of a copy of the petition on the Secretary of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board in San Francisco, or two copies if the petition is served in paper form, and one copy on each party who appeared in the action and whose interest is adverse to the petitioner. Service on the board's local district office is not required.
(Subd (a) amended effective January 1, 2018; previously amended effective January 1, 2007, and January 1, 2016.)
#(b) Answer and reply
#(1) Within 25 days after the petition is filed, the board or any real party in interest may serve and file an answer and any relevant exhibits not included in the petition.
#(2) Within 15 days after an answer is filed, the petitioner may serve and file a reply.
#(c) Certificate of Interested Entities or Persons
#(1) Each party other than the board must comply with the requirements of rule 8.208 concerning serving and filing a Certificate of Interested Entities or Persons.
#(2) The petitioner's certificate must be included in the petition and the real party in interest's certificate must be included in the answer. The certificate must appear after the cover and before the tables.
#(3) If a party fails to file a certificate as required under (1) and (2), the clerk must notify the party in writing that the party must file the certificate within 10 days after the clerk's notice is sent and that failure to comply will result in one of the following sanctions:
#(4) If the party fails to comply with the notice under (3), the court may impose the sanctions specified in the notice.
(Subd (c) amended effective January 1, 2016; adopted effective July 1, 2006; previously amended effective January 1, 2007.)
#History
Rule 8.720 renumbered effective April 25, 2019; repealed and adopted as rule 57 effective January 1, 2005; previously amended effective July 1, 2006, January 1, 2016, and January 1, 2018; previously amended and renumbered as rule 8.494 effective January 1, 2007; previously renumbered as rule 8.495 effective January 1, 2009.
What this rule requires
Filing Timing and Cure Windows
(1) Within 25 days after the petition is filed, the board or any real party in interest may serve and file an answer and any relevant exhibits not included in the petition.
(2) Within 15 days after an answer is filed, the petitioner may serve and file a reply.
(4) If the party fails to comply with the notice under (3), the court may impose the sanctions specified in the notice.
(3) If a party fails to file a certificate as required under (1) and (2), the clerk must notify the party in writing that the party must file the certificate within 10 days after the clerk's notice is sent and that failure to comply will result in one of the following sanctions: (A) If the party is the petitioner, the court will strike the petition; or (B) If the party is the real party in interest, the court will strike the document.
Service and Proof of Service Rules
The petition must be accompanied by proof of service of a copy of the petition on the Secretary of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board in San Francisco, or two copies if the petition is served in paper form, and one copy on each party who appeared in the action and whose interest is adverse to the petitioner. Service on the board's local district office is not required.
(1) Each party other than the board must comply with the requirements of rule 8.208 concerning serving and filing a Certificate of Interested Entities or Persons.
Document Filing Requirements
(A) The order, award, or decision to be reviewed;
(B) The workers' compensation judge's minutes of hearing and summary of evidence, findings and opinion on decision, and report and recommendation on the petition for reconsideration.
(2) If the petition claims that the board's ruling is not supported by substantial evidence, it must fairly state and attach copies of all the relevant material evidence.
(3) The petition must be verified.
A petition to review a Workers' Compensation Appeals Board order, award, or decision must be accompanied by proof of service.
The rule's wording
The petition must be accompanied by proof of service of a copy of the petition on the Secretary of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board in San Francisco, or two copies if the petition is served in paper form, and one copy on each party who appeared in the action and whose interest is adverse to the petitioner.
(1) Each party other than the board must comply with the requirements of rule 8.208 concerning serving and filing a Certificate of Interested Entities or Persons.
(2) The petitioner's certificate must be included in the petition
the real party in interest's certificate must be included in the answer.
The certificate must appear after the cover and before the tables.
Official text: courts.ca.gov , checked October 19, 2026.
#Advisory Committee Comment
Subdivision (a). Subdivision (a)(3) specifies that the petition must be served on the Secretary of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board in San Francisco. Neither the petition nor a courtesy copy should be served on the local district office of the board.
Subdivision (b). To clarify that a respondent may rely on exhibits filed with the petition without duplicating them in the answer, (b)(1) specifies that exhibits filed with an answer must be limited to exhibits "not included in the petition."