# CA QME Program Guide > California QME program guide: panel process, AMA Guides 5th, PDRS 2005, forms, and fees. Verified 2026-08-15. Canonical page: https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/ca/ --- [Content Hub](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/) › States ## CA QME Program Guide California's Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME) program appoints state-approved physicians who resolve medical-legal disputes, using the AMA Guides 5th Edition and the 2005 Permanent Disability Rating Schedule. 3 sections·4 sources·Verified 2026-08-15 ✓ 01 ### Program overview When the parties cannot agree on an evaluator, the DWC Medical Unit issues a 3-physician QME panel; each side strikes one name (8 CCR § 108). QMEs must complete DWC-approved training, including the online QME course updated with UC Berkeley COEH. 02 ### Rating framework Labor Code § 4660(b)(1) incorporates the AMA Guides 5th Edition. The 2005 PDRS (8 CCR § 9805) applies impairment plus the Four Adjustments (age, occupation, diminished future earning capacity, apportionment) to reach the permanent disability rating. 03 ### Partial items Telehealth status for QME evaluations was not confirmed; check current DWC guidance before relying on it. Rating basis by jurisdiction — 10 states profiled California — QME — Labor Code § 4660(b)(1) — **AMA Guides 5th** [Pennsylvania — IRE — 34 Pa. Code § 123.105; Act 142 — **AMA Guides 6th** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/pa/) [Tennessee — IR training — State-approved training list — **AMA Guides 6th** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/tn/) [Colorado — DIME — Rule 11 — **Edition set by agency** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/co/) [Ohio — IME / DME — BWC policy — **Edition set by agency** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/oh/) [Texas — Designated Doctor — 28 TAC 130.1 — **Edition set by agency** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/tx/) [Washington — IME — L&I Medical Examiners' Handbook — **Edition set by agency** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/wa/) [Florida — IRE / Schedule — 1996 Florida Impairment Rating Schedule — **State schedule, not AMA** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/fl/) [New York — IME / SLU — 2018 SLU guidelines — **State schedule, not AMA** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/ny/) [Arizona — DME — No canonical state source verified — **Not confirmed** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/az/) California runs a **QME** programme and rates on **ama guides 5th** (Labor Code § 4660(b)(1)). The rating standard is set by the jurisdiction, not by the examiner, so the same clinical findings can produce different numbers across the 10 states profiled here. ### Key facts | Program | QME | | --- | --- | | Agency | California Division of Workers' Compensation, Medical Unit | | Statute / rules | Labor Code 4060–4062.9; 8 CCR 31.3–31.7; 8 CCR 9805 | | AMA Guides edition | 5th Edition | | Edition basis | Labor Code § 4660(b)(1) | | MMI rules | Permanent disability rated at MMI per the 2005 PDRS | | Key forms | QME Form 100 (application); QME Form 105 (panel selection instructions) | | Fee schedule | 8 CCR 17; Medical-Legal Fee Schedule 2021 (ML201 comprehensive evaluation fee) | | Telehealth | Not confirmed | ### Sources - [CA DWC Medical Unit](https://dir.ca.gov/dwc/MedicalUnit/imchp.html) - [8 CCR § 9805 (PDRS)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/california/8-CCR-9805) - [Labor Code § 4660](https://law.justia.com/codes/california/2020/code-lab/division-4/part-2/chapter-2/article-3/section-4660/) - [8 CCR § 108 (panel selection)](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/108.html) Medrecords AI Every line cited back to its page. Send one real record set. We return a cited chronology you can check line by line, and a human decides what it means. [Test on a file](https://medrecords.ai/test-a-file/?src=content-hub-ca) [Book a demo](https://medrecords.ai/demo/?src=content-hub-ca) ### Meeting these requirements with Medrecords AI Medrecords AI assembles the record against the standard this jurisdiction applies — sorted, deduplicated and cited, so the reviewer checks the read instead of rebuilding it. [Solution — **Workers' compensation** — QME, SOAF, impairment rating and federal program record work. Read more →](https://medrecords.ai/solutions/workers-comp/?src=content-hub-ca) [Solution — **Utilization review packets** — The clinical record assembled against the criteria the reviewer applies. Read more →](https://medrecords.ai/solutions/utilization-review-record-packet/?src=content-hub-ca) [Product — **Medical chronology** — A dated, deduplicated timeline with a citation on every entry. Read more →](https://medrecords.ai/product/chronology/?src=content-hub-ca) Test it on a file you already have. Send one real record set. You get back a cited chronology and decide for yourself whether the read holds up — no obligation either way. [Test a file](https://medrecords.ai/test-a-file/?src=content-hub-ca) [Book a demo](https://medrecords.ai/demo/?src=content-hub-ca) ### Explore the Content Hub [ #### Software & platforms AI and case-management platforms across medical-record review. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/software/) [ #### Service providers & BPOs IME, peer review, retrieval, and BPO providers. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/services/) [ #### State programs Rules, AMA Guides edition, and MMI standards by state. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/) [ #### Comparisons Head-to-head vendor and program comparisons. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/compare/) [ #### Guides Editorial reference on report writing, MMI, and validity testing. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/guides/) [ #### Conferences & events Workers' comp, claims, and IME conferences with editorial takes. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/events/) [ #### Directories Link-out rosters of examiners, LNCs, and expert witnesses. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/directory/) [ #### State matrix report All 10 verified state programs, side by side. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/reports/ime-state-matrix-2026/) [ #### Content Hub home The full index of everything in the hub. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/) Medrecords AI ### Minutes per file. Every line cited. 10¢ a page. Bring the hardest file from this page. Get a cited chronology and a report draft in minutes — every line traced to its source page, ready for your review and signature. - Minutes per file, not days - Every line cited to its source page - Flat 10¢/page, duplicates free — no license, no minimums - HIPAA-eligible · SOC 2 audit-ready [Test on a file](https://medrecords.ai/test-a-file/?src=content-hub-ca) [Book a demo](https://medrecords.ai/demo/) See how Medrecords AI compares with anything on this page — over a 30-minute call, side by side. Last verified: 2026-08-15