Opinion ID: 2430211
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the administrative process and judicial review

Text: A brief review of the workers' compensation process will set the background for the resolution of this case. If the employer and employee cannot agree on the compensation payable under the Act, either party may apply for a hearing before an administrative law judge, §§ 287.450, 287.460, RSMo 1986, and following an award, either may seek review by the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission. §§ 287.470, 287.480. Under Killian , as stated above, the Commission, rather than the circuit court, has exclusive jurisdiction to determine whether the claimant's injuries were the product of an accident or of an intentional act on the part of the employer. 802 S.W.2d at 161. Upon final award by the Commission, either party may appeal to the appellate court within whose jurisdictional area the accident occurred. § 287.495. [2] Our procedure under Killian follows the doctrine of primary jurisdiction, and as stated there, in some circumstances courts will not decide a controversy involving a question within the jurisdiction of an administrative tribunal until after that tribunal has rendered its decision. 802 S.W.2d at 160.