California Medical-Only Adjuster Certification
The CPWC track for adjusters handling medical-only claims. 18 modules and the 50 classroom hours California requires of a new medical-only adjuster under 10 CCR §2592.
Handling wage-loss claims too? The Indemnity track is 24 modules at $2,499. Medical Bill Review is 10 modules at $1,079.
50 classroom hours
Meets California’s medical-only requirement under 10 CCR §2592
80 total hours
50 from IEA. The rest is employer on-the-job training.
18 modules
On demand. Start any time, no class dates.
No prerequisites
No experience required to begin.
Where the Medical-Only track fits in CPWC
CPWC has three tracks, set by the claims a person actually handles. This is Medical-Only.
CPWC Medical-Only Track
18 modules. 50 classroom hours, the medical-only requirement.
Indemnity is 24 modules at $2,499. Medical Bill Review is 10 modules at $1,079.
Any module on its own, $119 each, in any order.
What the certification is, who it is for, and how employers use it.
What the Medical-Only track covers
- Compensability: AOE/COE, causation, and the statutory defenses
- The benefit set that applies to a medical-only file
- Medical terminology and reading a treating physician report
- Medical treatment, utilization review, and independent medical review
- Medical-legal disputes, QMEs and AMEs
- Fee schedules, billing codes, and avoiding overpayment
- Lien defense and resolution
- Fraud, ethics, and surviving a DWC audit
What you’ll be able to do afterwards
- Set up and administer a California medical-only claim
- Decide compensability and name the rule that governs the call
- Read medical reports and apply the right terminology
- Authorize or challenge treatment and defend the decision
- Apply fee schedules correctly and catch billing errors
- Resolve provider liens without escalating the file
- Recognize when a claim should convert to indemnity
Track details
| Track | CPWC-MO (Medical-Only Adjuster) |
| Modules | 18 of the 24 CPWC modules |
| Classroom hours | 50 hours, delivered by IEA |
| Total training required | 80 hours under 10 CCR §2592. The balance is employer on-the-job training. |
| Completion window | 12 consecutive months from the date you start adjusting claims |
| Format | Online and on demand. Start any time. |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Price | $1,899 |
| Materials | Sullivan on Comp, six months of access included |
| Post-designation CE | 20 hours every two years |
| Counts toward | The CPWC certification |
| Audience | New medical-only claims adjusters in California, and staff moving up toward the full indemnity designation |
The 18 modules in the Medical-Only track
Every module is also available on its own for $119, in any order.
CPWC01 · Explore the historical foundations and evolution of California’s workers’ compensation system. Understand the purpose, key principles, and legal framework that shape claims handling today.
$119
CPWC02 · Learn the fundamentals of workers' compensation coverage, financing, and policy structures. Discover how claims are administered, including employer responsibilities and third-party administrators.
$119
CPWC03 · Master the first steps of a workers’ compensation claim. Gain hands-on knowledge in gathering critical documentation, establishing compensability, and setting up claims for success.
$119
CPWC04 · Delve into the legal doctrine of exclusive remedy and its exceptions. Explore different types of workplace injuries and alternative liability theories that may impact claims.
$119
CPWC05 · Understand the key elements that determine if an injury is compensable under California law. Learn about AOE/COE (Arising Out of and In the Course of Employment) and legal causation.
$119
CPWC06 · Explore statutory defenses and exceptions to compensability. Analyze legal exclusions such as intoxication, self-inflicted injuries, horseplay, and post-termination claims.
$119
CPWC07 · Get a complete breakdown of the benefits available to injured workers, including medical treatment, temporary and permanent disability, death benefits, and supplemental job displacement.
$119
CPWC08 · Navigate complex medical terminology used in workers' compensation. Learn about common diagnostic procedures, impairment assessments, and how medical evidence influences claims.
$119
CPWC09 · Understand the processes for authorizing and disputing medical treatment. Learn about the Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule (MTUS), utilization review (UR), and independent medical review (IMR).
$119
CPWC10 · Explore the role of Qualified Medical Evaluators (QMEs) and Agreed Medical Evaluators (AMEs). Gain expertise in resolving medical-legal disputes through proper reporting and procedural compliance.
$119
CPWC11 · Master California’s workers’ compensation fee schedules, medical billing codes, and reimbursement guidelines. Learn how to analyze bills and avoid overpayment pitfalls.
$119
CPWC12 · Gain practical skills in managing liens, including medical provider liens, interpreter fees, and copy service disputes. Learn negotiation strategies to minimize claim costs.
$119
CPWC13 · Understand ethical obligations in claims handling. Learn about conflicts of interest, confidentiality, and best practices for maintaining integrity in workers' compensation administration.
$119
CPWC14 · Prepare for claim audits by mastering the regulatory framework enforced by the Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC). Learn how to ensure compliance and avoid penalties.
$119
CPWC15 · Detect and prevent fraud at every level of a workers’ compensation claim. Learn investigative techniques for employer, employee, and provider fraud cases.
$119
CPWC16 · Understand the role and jurisdiction of the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB). Learn about the dispute resolution process, trial procedures, and appeals.
$119
CPWC23 · Master discovery procedures in workers’ compensation claims. Learn about depositions, subpoenas, witness testimony, and evidence collection for claim resolution.
$119
CPWC24 · Explore settlement strategies, subrogation rights, and contribution claims. Learn how to close claims efficiently while maximizing cost recovery for employers and insurers.
$119
Who the Medical-Only track is for
Most CPWC seats are bought by an employer for someone who has just started adjusting claims.
You are starting out
50 classroom hours is what California asks of you, and this is all of it in one place.
You are training a hiring class
Seats you assign as people start, completion records for the file, and no class dates to wait for. Most CPWC seats are bought this way.
You want the full designation next
Every module here counts toward the Indemnity track. Add the remaining six and you have the full 120 hours.
What the Medical-Only track is not
Worth being clear about what you are buying before you enroll.
California approves no course
No provider is approved or listed by the state. Your employer decides what it accepts and certifies compliance itself. CPWC is built to the published curriculum.
Medical-only scope
This meets the medical-only requirement. Handling wage-loss benefits needs the full 120-hour Indemnity track.
California-specific
California statute, regulation and case law throughout. Other states work differently.
The experts behind the CPWC curriculum
CPWC is built on Sullivan on Comp, a 16-chapter analysis of California workers’ compensation law, updated monthly. The attorney who co-writes it reviews and revises this course.
Karen Heffernan
Former Vice President of Training, Sedgwick
Rebuilt the CPWC curriculum in 2024.
Sure Log, Esq.
Of Counsel, Michael Sullivan & Associates
Co-author of Sullivan on Comp. Reviewed and revised CPWC’s content and exams for regulatory compliance in 2026.
Medical-Only track questions, answered
Yes, for the classroom portion. Under 10 CCR §2592 a new medical-only adjuster completes 80 hours of training within 12 consecutive months, of which 50 must be classroom. CPWC-MO delivers the 50 classroom hours. The remainder is employer-provided on-the-job training.
California approves no training providers and no courses. The Department of Insurance publishes the required hours and curriculum topics; your insurer, TPA or self-insured employer decides which training it accepts, issues the designation form, and certifies compliance to the Commissioner each year. CPWC is built to that curriculum and IEA provides completion records for the employer’s file.
Scope. A medical-only adjuster handles claims with no lost time and no wage-loss benefits, and needs 80 hours of training including 50 classroom. An indemnity adjuster handles wage-loss exposure and needs 160 hours including 120 classroom.
Yes. All 18 modules here count toward Indemnity. Talk to a counselor about the upgrade rather than buying the full track again.
Yes. 10 CCR §2592.01(c) defines a classroom as a space where instructor and students can communicate privately, and the instructor “may be physically present or may communicate with students by means of an electronic medium, including, but not limited to, audio, video, computer, or Internet.”
Buy seats against your hiring plan and assign them as people start. Volume pricing begins at two enrollments, purchase order and NET 30 are available, and you get certificates and CE records for every learner.
Post-designation training is 20 hours every two years for medical-only adjusters. Missing it costs the designation until the training is done. Source: 10 CCR §§2592.03, 2592.14.
Yes. CPWC is built on Sullivan on Comp and enrollment includes six months of access.
Regulatory figures on this page were verified against Sullivan on Comp in August 2026. Confirm current deadlines against the Department of Industrial Relations and Department of Insurance before relying on them for a live claim.
Enroll in the Medical-Only track, or take a single module
CPWC-MO is $1,899 for all 18 modules and the full 50 classroom hours. Any single module is $119 on its own and counts toward the track.
Pay over time with ShopPay.
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