Once an agreement as to the responsible employer is reached, or a decision is issued by the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board and becomes final, the Asbestos Workers’ Account shall notify the responsible employer or insurance carrier of the amount of payment necessary to satisfy the lien in full. Full payment of the lien shall be made by the responsible employer or insurance carrier within 30 days of the issue of such notification. The account may grant a reasonable extension of time for payment of the lien beyond 30 days. This payment shall be for all moneys expended for compensation benefits, and for all recoverable costs including the cost of independent medical examination and all costs reasonably incidental thereto, including, but not limited to, costs of transportation, hospitalization, consultative evaluation, X-rays, laboratory tests, and other diagnostic procedures. The payment shall bear interest, as provided in Section 5800, from the date of the agreement or decision through the date of payment.

The lien of the Asbestos Workers’ Account shall be allowed as a first lien against compensation, and shall have priority over all other liens. The lien of the Asbestos Workers’ Account may not be reduced by the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board or by the parties unless express written consent to the proposed reduction of the lien is given by the Asbestos Workers’ Account and is filed in the record of proceedings before the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board.

(Added by Stats. 1980, Ch. 1041. Provisions inoperative January 1, 1989, as prescribed in Section 4418.)