California Insurance Guarantee Ass'n v. Workers' Compensation Appeals Board

Opinion

RUBIN, J.

INTRODUCTION

After the Employment Development Department (EDD) paid temporary unemployment compensation disability (UCD) benefits to disabled workers Harry White and Francisco Torres, EDD filed lien claims for reimbursement with the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (Board). The insurers for White’s and Torres’s employers were insolvent. Under applicable California law (Ins. Code, § 1063 et seq.), California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA) had assumed the insolvent carriers’ obligations, but refused to satisfy EDO’s liens. CIGA argued it was only required to pay a…