What Are WCAB Judges' Conference Lines in California?

What is a WCAB judge's conference line?

It is the phone or video connection parties use for a status conference, a mandatory settlement conference, a priority conference, or a lien conference, instead of appearing at the district office.

For years, the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) ran these shorter calendar events over stand-alone telephone lines. You dialed a number, stated your case number, and waited for the judge to call your case.

That changed on March 3, 2025. The Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) moved status conferences, mandatory settlement conferences (MSCs), priority conferences, and lien conferences onto the CourtCall Video Platform. Each judge now has a virtual courtroom there, and DWC posts the access details on its Virtual Courtroom Resources page and on your hearing notice.

You do not need a computer to take part. Every judge's virtual courtroom still has a call-in number for parties who only have a phone. The conference line did not disappear. It moved inside the video platform.

Trials, lien trials, and expedited hearings are different. DWC still hears those in person, so a conference line or virtual courtroom link only matters for the shorter events listed above.

Which WCAB hearings use a conference line, and which stay in person?

Status conferences, mandatory settlement conferences, priority conferences, and lien conferences are heard on the CourtCall Video Platform. Trials, lien trials, and expedited hearings stay in person.

DWC splits WCAB calendar events into two groups. The shorter events, where a judge checks on discovery, pushes a settlement, or sorts out a lien claim, moved to phone and video. The longer events, where witnesses testify and the judge takes evidence, stayed in the courtroom.

• Status conference: on CourtCall
• Mandatory settlement conference (MSC): on CourtCall
• Priority conference: on CourtCall
• Lien conference: on CourtCall
• Trial, lien trial, and expedited hearing: in person at the district office

Expedited hearings follow strict scheduling rules of their own; see hearing and trial timing under Labor Code section 5502 for how fast those move. Your hearing notice states which type of event you have and whether it is virtual or in person. If it does not say, call the district office number printed on the notice.

Where does DWC publish the current conference line or virtual courtroom link?

DWC lists every judge's current virtual courtroom link on its own spreadsheet, and the same access information goes out on your hearing notice.

These links and call-in numbers change as judges move between courtrooms and offices, so DWC does not keep one number printed permanently on a public page. Check two places instead:

• Your hearing notice, which names your judge and lists the access information for that specific conference.
• DWC's Judges' Virtual Courtroom Links spreadsheet, organized by district office and judge.

If the two do not match, or your notice is old, use the link or number on the most recent document DWC sent you. When in doubt, call the district office on your notice before the conference starts.

How do you join a CourtCall video or phone conference?

Open the virtual courtroom link for your judge a few minutes early, or dial the call-in number if you only have a phone, then wait for your case to be called.

1. Confirm your date, time, and judge on your hearing notice.
2. A few minutes before the conference, open the virtual courtroom link, or dial the call-in number if you are joining by phone only.
3. State your name and case number (your ADJ number) when asked, then wait. Several cases share the same calendar, so yours may not be called right away.
4. If your device or connection will not cooperate, DWC's Virtual Courtroom Resources page links CourtCall's own setup guides and support line.

What should you have ready before you join?

Have your case number, your hearing notice, and any documents the conference is about ready before you connect.

• Your case number (ADJ number) and the hearing notice itself.
• Contact information for your attorney, if you have one, in case the call drops.
• Any records the conference is about, such as medical reports for a lien conference or settlement terms for an MSC.
• A quiet space and a charged phone or device, with your camera and microphone tested ahead of time if you plan to use video.

Not sure what your specific event is supposed to accomplish? For a settlement conference, start with what happens at a mandatory settlement conference.

If you received a hearing notice for a WCAB conference and are not sure which district office handles your case, start with California's WCAB district offices to find the right one. For background on the board itself, see what the WCAB is and what it decides.

Yazdchi Law P.C. is based in Palmdale and appears at WCAB conferences and hearings across the Antelope Valley, the San Fernando Valley, and the greater Los Angeles area, in person, by phone, and by video.

If a conference or settlement is coming up and you want help preparing for it, call (661) 273-1780 or use the contact form. The firm reviews each matter individually before deciding whether to take a case.

Related questions

A few more questions people ask about WCAB hearings and conferences.

• What is the California Workers' Compensation Appeals Board?
• What happens at a mandatory settlement conference?
• What is Labor Code section 5502 on hearings and trial timing?
• Where is my WCAB district office?